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“I always thought fairies were glittery with wings” 



THE 

GRATEFUL FAIRY 


BY 

T. L. SAPPINGTON 

Author of “The Sociable Sand Witch”^ 


ILLUSTRATED BY 

HOWARD L. HASTINGS 


NEW YORK 

BARSE & HOPKINS 

PUBLISHERS 




'<k'y 




Copyright, 1922, 
By Barse & Hopkins 


Printed in U.S.A. 


JUN 28 1822 

©CI.A677329 


r 


CONTENTS 


PAGE 

The Grateful Fairy i 

The Looking Glass Man 23 

The Flying Elephant 41 

The Amateur Witch 61 

The Bouncing Boy 82 

The Unappeasable Boy Catcher 100 

The Million Jointed Hopoff 118 

The Cheerful Dishwasherola 136 

The Castle of Giants 15^ 

The Sticky Jameetis 177 









ILLUSTRATIONS 


“I always thought fairies were glittery with wings” 

{Colors page 4) Frcntispiece 

“Well,” said the dragon, “here I am” .... 7 

Over the bed it leaped, roaring 35 

Away they went over the mountains 45 

Some witches are witches because they are born that 

way (Color) 62 

Tod looked at his aunt and his aunt looked at him . 67 

When you bounce two miles you are liable to come 

down anywhere (Color) 84 

Nim gave a jump in the air . .87 

The bottle of pills slipped out and fell to the floor . 113 

The Million Jointed Hopoff hopped right into the hole 123 

Grig threw him a piece of soap 153 

He started to run away as fast as he could . . . 171 

They came to a door which swung open . . . .181 







THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Some people believe in fairies and some people 
do not. Johnny Jones believed in them when his 
mother told him fairy stories, but at other times he 
did not think about the matter, especially if the 
weather was warm and there were grasshoppers in 
the back garden, for Johnny certainly did love to 
chase grasshoppers. Well, one morning in June 
when the sky was blue and the grass was green, 
and the grasshoppers were whirring about in the 
sunshine, and Johnny’s mind was far away from 
fairies, all of a sudden he came across one. And 
where do you suppose the fairy was? It was rid- 
ing on a grasshopper that the boy had just caught 
under his cap, and the first thing he knew of the 
fairy was when he lifted his cap and heard a 
squeaky little voice in the grass, which so surprised 
him he let the grasshopper get away. 

“Oh,” exclaimed Johnny, his eyes very wide. 


1 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Then he parted the grass carefully so he could see 
the fairy better. 

“Be careful, now,” said the fairy, “or you’ll 
break my spectacles.” 

Except for his size he did not look like a fairy 
at all. That is, he had no wings, no silver wand, 
or anything like that. Instead he was dressed in 
a long blue coat with gilt buttons, while on his feet 
were curly-toed shoes with white gaiters over them. 
Instead of a wand he clutched an umbrella, and as 
he spoke to Johnny he was straightening the spec- 
tacles on his nose. Having done that he looked 
about him anxiously. He was scarcely taller than 
the grass itself and he could not seem to find what 
he was looking for. 

“Do you see my hat anywhere*?” he asked. 

And then, as Johnny handed him the little 
pointed hat that lay near by, he thanked the boy 
politely. 

“1 suppose you know,” he continued, as he 
pulled the hat down over his ears, “that you have 
just saved my life, eh?” 


2 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Why no/’ said Johnny, “Did If 

“You certainly did,” said the fairy, putting his 
umbrella under his arm and dusting his hands 
fussily, “that grasshopper was running away with 
me. He had the bit in his teeth and I couldn’t do 
a thing with him. And then — you threw your cap 
over him and stopped his mad career. Sir, I thank 
you a thousand times, and I shall do my very best 
to show my gratitude.” 

“But — ^but,” cried Johnny, “you don’t under- 
stand. I was only chasing that grasshopper. I 
always chase grasshoppers in the summer time. I 
like it. Of course if I saved your life I’m very 
glad, but I didn’t even know you were on the 
grasshopper.” 

The fairy chuckled as he climbed up on the boy’s 
knee. “Why is it,” he said, “that all heroes are 
alike ^ Not one of them will ever admit he is a 
hero. But I know what you did all right and I’m 
going to reward you, and don’t you forget it.” 

Then he told Johnny that his name was Pro- 
fessor Dap. “I teach in the University of Moon- 
3 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


shine,” he went on, “and Fve been working very 
hard, and my nerves have gone back on me. So 
my doctor told me to take a grasshopper ride every 
morning, but of course, if I had known the grass- 
hopper was going to run away I should not have 
tried it.” 

“Well,” said Johnny, “I do think you’re a funny- 
looking fairy.” 

“Funny-looking,” exclaimed the other. “That’s 
a nice thing to say to a person old enough to be 
your father.” 

Oh, explained the boy, “I mean I always 
thought fairies were glittery with wings and dia- 
mond crowns and things. I never knew they wore 
spectacles.” 

“Indeed,” said Professor Dap, “well, that just 
shows what you know about fairies. Now if I 
wore wings and a diamond crown I’d look ridicu- 
lous, whereas the way I am I look respectable. Of 

course some fairies are glittery — quite glittery 

especially a fairy queen, who is very dressy, but 
that does not mean that all fairies are. No sir-ee, 

4 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


it takes all sorts of fairies to make a fairyland and 
Fm a very good sample, I think. And now what 
can I do to show my gratitude, eh? Is anything 
or anybody bothering you?’’ 

“Why no,” said Johnny, “not that I can think 
of.” 

“But,” said Professor Dap, “isn’t there a dragon 
around here annoying your family, or something 
like that?” 

“A dragon,” exclaimed the boy, “I should say 
not. Why — why I’ve never even seen a dragon.” 

Professor Dap rolled his eyes. “Never seen a 
dragon ! My, my, then it’s time you did.” 

Whereupon he opened his umbrella and closed 
it twice, and the next moment a dragon with zig- 
zag stripes appeared in a distant field and came 
squirming toward them. 

“Now,” said the Professor, “we’ll see if he an- 
noys you, and if he does I’ll chase him away.” 

“Oh,” said Johnny, nervously, “don’t let’s wait 
for him to annoy me. Chase him anyway.” 

“No,” said Professor Dap, “that is not the way 

5 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


to do it at all. We’ll wait until he does something 
nasty.” 

By this time the dragon had reached the garden 
fence and was bursting through it, and Johnny felt 
more nervous than ever. 

“I — I — I think I’d better go indoors,” he said. 
“I — I — I think maybe my mother wants me.” 

“Your mother does nothing of the sort,” said 
Professor Dap, “and if you do go indoors the 
dragon will go there, too, and you can fight him 
much better out here.” 

“Fight him!” shouted Johnny, in alarm. “I’m 
not going to fight him. Why — why, I never heard 
of such a thing.” 

“But,” said the Professor, “if you don’t fight 
him how can I help you? Unless you do some- 
thing to him he may not do anything to you. 
See?” 

Well, you may be sure Johnny did not care for 
any such arrangement as that. He wished he had 
never rescued Professor Dap from the runaway 
grasshopper. In fact, he wished he had never 
6 



“Well,” said the dragon, “here I am” 




THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


chased a grasshopper in his life and would have 
fled into the house without waiting another mo- 
ment, only before he could do so the dragon ar- 
rived with a snort, and stood puffing and panting 
like a fire engine. 

“Well,” said the dragon, grinning rather aw- 
fully, “here I am, and now what*?” 

“Turn your back on him,” said Professor Dap, 
to Johnny. “Show him you don’t care for his ac- 
quaintance. That will make him challenge you.” 

But nothing in the world could have made 
Johnny Jones turn his back on that dragon. If he 
was going to be eaten he wanted to see when the 
eating commenced and not to be grabbed from be- 
hind. So he just stared into the dragon’s green 
eyes while his knees wobbled and his hair bristled 
like a scrubbing brush. 

“How — how — how do you do,” he stuttered, 
nodding to the monster. “I — I — I hope you feel 
quite well.” 

“Oh, shucks,” exclaimed Professor Dap, impa- 
tiently, “that’s no way to talk. Why, he’ll think 
8 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


you are trying to be friends. Tell him to be gone 
or you’ll engage him in mortal combat. He’ll stay 
forever if you don’t.” 

“He’d — he’d better not,” said Johnny. “If my 
father comes home and finds him in our garden he’ll 
— he’ll give him something he won’t like.” 

“Say,” put in the dragon, “are you talking to 
me or are you talking to yourself?” 

“Why, no,” replied Johnny, “I’m talking to 
Professor Dap. He wants me — ” 

“Professor IJap,” said the monster. “I don’t 
see any Professor Dap. Where is he?” 

“Why, he’s right here on my knee,” said the 
boy. “He’s a fairy and — ” 

“ ’Nuff said!” exclaimed the dragon, in a tone 
of disgust. “I might have known there was a fairy 
around. Every time I try to take a nap some fairy 
sends for me. Gee whiz, these fairies are as bad 
as mosquitoes for bothering you. And the worst 
is they’re so small I can’t see them.” 

“Is that so?” squeaked Professor Dap, testily. 
“Well, if I’m so small you can’t see me I’ll jerk 
9 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


myself up a bit so you can. And then you can’t 
say Fm not playing fair.” 

And with that he jumped down from Johnny’s 
knee, jerked his arms up as though lifting some- 
thing, and the next moment was almost as tall as 
the boy by his side. 

“There,” he said to the dragon, “can you see me 
now, old wheezer?” 

“Yes,” replied the monster, “I can, though I 
must say you are not much to look at. And now 
perhaps you’ll tell me why you spoiled my nap?’ 

“Well,” said Professor Dap, “this boy saved my 
life and I wanted to reward him, so I decided to 
send for a dragon to attack him, when, of course, I 
would step in and effect a rescue. So kindly go 
ahead and devour him and don’t let’s waste any 
more time.” 

“Oh,” said Johnny to the dragon, “I don’t think 
that’s fair. I don’t want to be rescued — that is, I 
didn’t want you to come here at all. I’m — I’m not 
mad at you in the least, and if you don’t bother 
me I shan’t bother you, honest.” 


10 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“That’s all right,” replied the monster, “I un- 
derstand exactly, and I’m not going to touch you. 
I don’t devour folks unless there’s a reason, and I 
see no reason for any such performance in this case. 
Of course, if there was a princess with you, that 
would be another thing because I simply cannot re- 
sist princesses, and unless you stopped me from 
doing it. I’d certainly have her for luncheon, but 
as there isn’t a princess I might as well go back and 
finish my nap.” And having said that he started 
to wiggle away. 

“Stop!” cried Professor Dap. “Don’t be in 
such a hurry. If a princess is needed we’ll have to 
get one.” Then he turned to Johnny. “Are there 
any princesses in your housed’ 

“My goodness, no,” said the boy, “there’s no- 
body there just now but Caroline, the cook.” 

“All right,” said the Professor, briskly, “she’ll 
do. I’ll turn her into a princess.” 

“But — but,” cried Johnny, with a horrified ex- 
pression, “she — she would never do. She’s too 
fat and she’s — she’s a very dark brown.” 


11 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


'Tat and brown!” exclaimed the dragon, smack- 
ing his lips. "Oh boy, that’s the way I like ’em! 
The fatter, and the browner the better. I’m aw- 
fully tired of the pale, limp princesses I’ve been 
eating. It’s this way: 

Of all the ladies I have et 
In my career, not one as yet 
Has ever borne a name so fine, 

Or tasty as your Caroline. 

And when you also say she’s fat, 

And in addition tell me that 
The damsel too, is nice and brown, 

I simply long to gulp her down. 

For every princess heretofore 
Has been so white and limp with fright, 

That eating her has been a bore. 

Cut yours will tempt my appetite. 

Then he told Johnny to go and ask Caroline to 
step out in the garden a moment. "When she 
comes out,” he continued, "I’ll transform her and 
then I’ll turn your house into a castle. And after 
that 1 11 wish you a horse, and a fine suit of gold 
12 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


armor, and a two edged sword, and you and the 
dragon can fight for the princess.” 

'‘Yes,” put in the dragon, “and I’ll get her, too. 
I’ve tasted Gwendolines, and Rosalindes, and 
Genevieves, and found ’em fair, but I’ll bet a Caro- 
line will beat ’em all. Oh, I can hardly wait to 
begin.” 

“But,” said Johnny, “I don’t believe Caroline 
would let us turn her into a princess, and I know 
my father would be awful mad if our house was 
changed into a castle. He likes it the way it is.” 

However, though he talked, and talked, and 
tried to make the dragon and Professor Dap under- 
stand ‘that they had better let Caroline and the 
house alone, and that he did not want a horse or a 
suit of armor with which to fight for the princess, 
they insisted on having their own way. And when 
the dragon declared that if Caroline was not turned 
into a princess right off he would eat her, and the 
house, and Johnny all at once, Johnny reluctantly 
went indoors and asked the cook if she would not 
come into the garden. 


13 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


''What for*?” asked Caroline, who was rolling 
out pie crust. "Ain’t I got enough to do without 
helping you chase grasshoppers'? Run along, 
child, and don’t bother me.” 

"No,” said Johnny, "I won’t run along. I want 
you to come into the garden. It’s not to chase 
grasshoppers, it’s to show you something you never 
saw before.” 

"Something I never saw before?” repeated the 
cook. 

"Yes,” said Johnny, "something nobody around 
here ever saw before.” 

"Eh?” exclaimed Caroline, in a startled tone. 

With that she brushed aside the window curtain 
and looked out, and when she saw the dragon sit- 
ting on his haunches conversing with Professor 
Dap, she almost fell on top of the stove. 

"Who give you that thing out there?” she de- 
manded. 

"Nobody gave it to me,” replied Johnny. "It — 
it just came.” 

"Well, you take it out of the garden right away 

H 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


or ril tell your pa. And tell that little man to go, 
too.” 

“But,” said the boy, “they won’t go away. 
They say you’ve got to come out into the garden 
and be turned into a princess.” 

The cook frowned. “Don’t you make fun of 
me, Johnny Jones, or you won’t git one teeny, 
weeny piece of this pie. Whoever heard tell of a 
colored princess — nobody, and you know it.” 

“Oh, that don’t make a bit of difference,” said 
the boy, eagerly. “The dragon says he’s tired of 
pale princesses. He wants one like you — all nice, 
and fat and brown. Please come out, Caroline.” 

“No,” said the cook, “I won’t. And you go 
chase that thing away. Go on, now.” 

“Please, Caroline, do come out,” repeated 
Johnny. “If — if you don’t I’ll be eaten, and 
you’ll be eaten, and the house will be eaten; and 
there won’t be a thing left when father and mother 
get home.” 

“Who says so*?” inquired the girl, staring at 
him. “Who told you that stuff? ’Tain’ t so!” 

15 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Yes, it is,” said Johnny, “that is what the 
dragon out there is waiting for. He wants to eat 
you as soon as Professor Dap turns you into a 
princess.” 

“Huh !” said Caroline. “Is that what that thing 
is — a dragon?” 

“Yes,” replied Johnny, “and — and I’m afraid.” 

“Well,” said Caroline, looking rather fright- 
ened herself, “you needn’t be, ’cause it ain’t going 
to eat me and it ain’t going to eat you — not if I 
know it. You just stay inside here and when your 
pa comes — ” 

“It won’t do any good,” interrupted the boy, 
“because if you don’t go out the dragon will not 
wait until father comes.” 

And sure enough the dragon did not, for pres- 
ently he and Professor Dap came to the kitchen 
door and pushed it open. 

“Well,” said the monster, “is Caroline coming 
out or not? We’re not going to wait all day.” 

“No,” said Professor Dap. “I’ve got my worK 
to do at the University of Moonshine, and if this 
i6 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


girl wants me to turn her into a princess she’d bet- 
ter hurry up.” 

“Indeed,” said the cook, “well, I don’t want you 
to turn me into anything.” 

“Oh, come now,” said the dragon, coaxingly, 
pushing his head forward and smiling with all his 
might, “do let him turn you into a princess. I 
can’t have a bit of fun unless you’re a princess.” 

“What do I care,” retorted Caroline, with a sniff. 
“And stop making faces at me.” 

“I’m not making faces,” responded the dragon, 
“I’m smiling. I’m trying to be as nice as I can.” 

“Yes, and I am, too,” put in Professor Dap. 
Then he turned to Johnny. “Do hurry and get 
her out. Just think of the horse and the golden 
armor you’ll have.” 

But Johnny shook his head. “I’m not going to 
do it. I don’t want any horse or any golden armor, 
and I’d rather have Caroline just as she is. And 
I want you both to go away.” 

“You want us to go away,” repeated the Pro- 
fessor. 


17 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Yes, I do,” replied Johnny. 

“And what about my rewarding you for saving 
my life?” 

“I don’t want any reward,” said Johnny. 
“You’re quite welcome to your life.” 

“Oh, indeed,” snapped Professor Dap, “I sup- 
pose you think my life wasn’t worth a reward, eh? 
Very well, sir, then I won't give any reward. I’ll 
just let the dragon eat you.” With that he turned 
to the dragon and snapped his fingers. “Go 
ahead. Bill,” he said, “and do your best. / shan’t 
interfere.” 

Whereupon the dragon stopped smiling, opened 
his mouth wide and swallowed the kitchen steps 
like a flash. 

“Oh,” screamed Caroline, “did you see that? 
He’s gone and eaten my steps. Shoo!” 

And then as the dragon did not shoo, and com- 
menced to push his way inside, and as Johnny was 
backing hastily into a corner, she turned and seized 
the mound of dough on her pie board, and as the 
dragon opened his jaws still wider to make a bite 
l8 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


at her, she flung the dough into his mouth. 
Whang — they closed with a snap, and when they 
did that you may be sure they stayed closed, for the 
dough was awfully sticky and it held his teeth to- 
gether like a vise so* that he could not even roar 
except through his nose. 

Then Caroline grabbed her rolling pin and she 
went for the dragon as hard as she could, and after 
she had given him two or three whacks on the head 
he tucked his tail between his legs and ran out of 
the garden — or rather wiggled out — and across the 
fields, and out of sight, as fast as he could. 

And you may be sure when he did that, Johnny 
heaved a sigh of relief and was just going out to 
meet the victorious Caroline on her way back to 
the. house after pursuing the monster, when who 
should come from behind the stationary wash-tubs 
but Professor Dap. 

‘‘Save me!” he gasped. “Save me from that 
dreadful person who prepares your meals and Fll 
give you anything you want. Help me get back to 
the University of Moonshine.” 

19 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


'‘Why, how can I help you?” asked Johnny. “I 
don’t know how to get there.” 

“Of course you don’t,” said Professor Dap, “but 
I do if you’ll catch me a grasshopper.” 

So Johnny went out into the garden and caught 
a grasshopper, and then held it while Professor 
Dap, after making himself small again, got on its 
back. 

“Thanks,” said the Professor, “and now what 
can I do to repay you for this, even if I can’t reward 
you for saving my life the other time?” 

“Well,’^ said Johnny, “I wish you’d put the 
kitchen steps back. My father won’t like it when 
he finds them gone, and he’ll think it very strange 
when I tell him a dragon ate them.” 

“All right,” said the Professor, “I’ll do it, and 
not only that but I’ll make that Caroline person for- 
get all about everything that has happened, so in 
case I should be grasshopper riding in your garden 
again and she caught the grasshopper, she would 
not know who I was.” 

And with that he stretched out his fingers to- 


20 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


ward the empty air, and then he motioned as though 
throwing something toward the kitchen door, and 
bing — there were the kitchen steps in place all 
right again. And then as Caroline came up the 
garden walk he pointed his finger at her and mut- 
tered something. And having done that he waved 
his hand to Johnny, gave the grasshopper a prod 
with his heel, and flew away. 

“Well, I declare,” said the cook, with a bewil- 
dered expression, as she came to where Johnny was 
sitting on the grass, “I done clean forgot what I 
come out here for. Ain’t that funny?” 

Then she went into the kitchen only to come 
out the next moment and ask Johnny if he had 
taken the dough from her pie board. 

“Why, no,” said the boy, “isn’t it there?” Al- 
though of course he knew it was not. 

“No, it ain’t,” said Caroline, crossly, “and that’s 
what comes of keeping a cat around, ’cause now 
you won’t get no pie for dinner to-night.” 

And sure enough there was no pie, but Johnny 
did not mind so very much, because everything was 


21 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


all right again and if there was no pie for him to 
eat, at least there was no dragon to eat him. And 
you may be sure, while he hated to do it, he deter- 
mined to stop catching grasshoppers the rest of the 
summer anyhow, for he had no desire to run across 
another Grateful Fairy. 


22 


THE LOOKING GLASS MAN 


If you saw a round, roly-poly, rather oriental- 
looking person with three chins, a tasseled cap, or 
fez on his head, a green silk gown, tied with a red 
cord, wrapped about him, and two big ears with 
gold rings in them, sitting in a drug store drinking 
chocolate sodas until he had consumed ten of them 
in about ten minutes, you would surely think he 
was rather surprising. 

And that is exactly what Ric Martin and his 
grandfather thought as they sat near by drinking 
their chocolate sodas. In fact, they put down their 
glasses in order to watch the stranger, for Ric, 
who was a cheerful little boy of seven, had never 
in all his seven years seen such a sight. And Ric’s 
grandfather, who was an equally cheerful old gen- 
tleman of seventy, had never in all his seventy 
years seen the like either. And presently the per- 
23 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


son they were watching noticed they were watching 
him. 

“Well,” he said, wiping his mouth with the back 
of his hand, “what are you looking at?” 

At which remark both Ric and his grandfather 
stopped looking and began to drink their sodas as 
fast as they could. 

“Humph!” said the stranger, “your manners are 
something delicious. I asked you a question, 

didntir 

“Eh?” inquired Ric’s grandfather. 

“Don’t ‘eh’ me,” retorted the other. “You 
heard what I said, you know you did.” 

“Well, what if I did?” snapped Ric’s grand- 
father, getting rather red in the face. “We don’t 
have to answer, do we? And besides, you know 
what we were looking at.” 

“What?” asked the fat man. 

“Why you, of course,” put in Ric. 

“Ah,” said the stranger, “now we’re getting on a 
bit. You noticed me particularly, didn’t you? 
Come, admit it!” 


24 


THE LOOKING GLASS MAN 


“We certainly did/’ said Ric’s grandfather. 
“We most certainly did.” 

The man with the fez rubbed his hands gleefully. 
“Thank goodness,” he said, “then I didn’t drink all 
those chocolate sodas for nothing. You see,” he 
went on, “I despise chocolate sodas and all such 
foolishness, but I had to attract your attention 
somehow. I’m looking for an attachment, you 
know.” 

“An attachment!” echoed Ric and his grand- 
father. 

“Yes,” said the other, “some one I can be fond 
of, and I’ve found them at last. I’m going to be 
fond of you two.” 

Then he took a small looking glass from his 
pocket and handed it to Ric. “Now both of you 
take a peep in that,” he said. 

And then, as they looked, the man on the stool 
near them disappeared, and the next instant they 
saw him in the mirror, a tiny little figure. And 
then, bing — he was out of the mirror and on the 
stool again. 


25 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Just as easy,” he said. “As long as I’m at- 
tached to somebody I can go in and out of that 
looking glass all day long. But if I don’t have an 
attachment, or if I lose my affection for those I’m 
attached to, I have to go back in the glass and stay 
there. My name is Reflecto and I’m what you call 
a mirror spirit, a pleasant enough existence for 
any one who has an affectionate side to his nature, 
don’t you thinks And now that we are mutually 
drawn together, let’s go out and enjoy ourselves.” 

“We’ll do nothing of the sort,” said Ric’s grand- 
father. “And if you are drawn to us we are not 
drawn to you. And it’s a wonder the soda water 
clerk has not put you out of the shop before this.” 

“Ho, ho,” laughed the Looking Glass Man. 
“Why, my dear sir, he doesn’t even know I’m in 
the store. I can only be seen and heard by those 
I’m fond of, and I’m not fond of him^ I can tell you 
that. When you came in, this little mirror was 
lying on the counter where it had been left by the 
last person to whom I had been attached, and I 
was curled up inside wondering when I was going 
26 


THE LOOKING GLASS MAN 


to get out again. And then — then I saw you and 
your grandson, such a jolly, friendly couple, and 
my affection burst into full bloom and I hopped out 
of the looking glass and began drinking magical 
chocolate sodas, and here I am.’’ 

Ric looked at his grandfather, and his grand- 
father looked at the clerk lolling behind the counter 
chewing a toothpick. 

“Well,” said the clerk, “are you over your spree 
or do you want another soda?” 

“No more, thank you,” said Ric’s grandfather, 
“but I would like to know if you see anybody at 
this counter beside ourselves.” 

The clerk stared. Then he leaned over to Ric 
and whispered hoarsely: “Say, little boy, you’d 
better take your grandpa home and send for the 
doctor. He’s seeing things.” 

“You’d better take yourself home,” retorted 
Ric’s grandfather. “I’m healthier in my little fin- 
ger than you are in your whole body.” 

And with that he slammed some coins on the 
counter, grasped Ric by the hand and marched out 

27 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


of the shop, but as he went, Reflecto, the Looking 
Glass Man, marched out with him. 

“Now, see here,” said Ric’s grandfather, frown- 
ing at the stranger as they reached the street, 
“you’ll have to run along.” 

“Oh, that’s all right,” replied the Looking Glass 
Man, “I’m perfectly willing to run along so long 
as I run along with you. But why not fly in- 
stead?” 

Whereupon he picked up Ric and the old gen- 
tleman, whisked them through the air like a flash, 
and landed them on the lawn in front of their 
house. 

“There you are,” he said, “doesn’t that beat the 
trolleys? And now let’s go in and see your folks. 
Maybe I’ll get to be fond of them, too.” 

Ric’s grandfather stamped his foot. “If you 
don’t go away,” he said, “I’ll call the police.” 

And no doubt he would have done so if Ric 
hadn’t reminded him that no one could see Reflecto 
but themselves. “They couldn’t arrest a person 
they couldn’t see,” added Ric. 

28 


THE LOOKING GLASS MAN 


“I should say not,” exclaimed the Looking Glass 
Man, scornfully. “And if they did, Ld walk right 
through the prison walls like this.” 

And once more he picked up Ric and his grand- 
father, and the next moment, bing — they were 
standing in the library right before the chair where 
Ric’s grandmother was sitting, knitting busily. 

Now Ric’s grandmother was a stout, white- 
haired old lady who led a quiet life, and she knew 
as well as anybody that when a person came into a 
room they always came through the door. And 
when she found Ric and his grandfather in the 
room without having come through the door, she 
did not know what to think. Indeed, she did not 
try to think, she just gave a loud shriek and 
crumpled up in a faint. 

“My goodness gracious!” 'shouted Ric’s grand- 
father, glaring at the Looking Glass Man, “now 
look what you’ve done.” 

Then he rushed off and got the ammonia bottle 
and held it under the nose of Ric’s grandmother. 
And presently, as the ammonia began to revive her 
29 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


and she began to sneeze, Ric’s grandfather began 
to look very much troubled. '‘Dear me,” he said, 
“she’ll want to know how we got in here and we 
won’t know what to tell her.” 

“Won’t know what to tell her,” said the Look- 
ing Glass Man, “why tell her the truth, of course. 
I’m not ashamed of it if you’re not.” 

“Oh,” said Ric, “we’re not ashamed of it. It’s 
only that people won’t believe about you when they 
can’t see you.” 

“That’s not my fault,” said Reflecto. “As I 
told you before. I’m only visible to those I’m fond 
of, and I haven’t known your grandmother long 
enough for that.” 

And sure enough when Ric’s grandmother came 
out of her swoon she began to ask questions, and 
the more she asked the less Ric and his grandfather 
felt like answering them, because they were afraid 
if they told her about the Looking Glass Man she 
would faint again. But when they found that she 
would faint if they did not tell, Ric’s grandfather 
sat right down and told her everything. And 

30 


THE LOOKING GLASS MAN 


when he got through, Ric’s grandmother was as 
strong and well as ever, indeed she was stronger, 
for she made Ric hold a thermometer in his mouth 
to see if he had a fever, and then she made his 
grandfather do the same thing. And while the 
thermometer showed they did not have a fever, she 
said they did, and made them both go to bed with- 
out waiting for dinner. 

“Gee whiz!” said the Looking Glass Man, bend- 
ing over them as they lay in bed together waiting 
for the doctor to come, “Fm awfully sorry about 
this, you know. I had no idea things would turn 
out so badly.” 

“Oh, go away,” retorted Ric’s grandfather, “you 
make me sicker than Fm supposed to be.” 

“Yes, do go away,” added Ric. “We were to 
have apple dumplings for dinner, and now Fll not 
get any.” 

“Oh, yes, you will,” said the Looking Gla-ss 
Man. “Just leave that to me.” 

And after the doctor had been and felt their 
pulses, and shook his head, and left some medicine, 

31 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


and after Ric’s grandmother had gone downstairs 
to her dinner, the Looking Glass Man sat down by 
the bed and produced a silver flute which he played 
upon softly, and as he played two silver trays ap- 
peared, one before Ric and one before his grand- 
father, and as they hastily sat up in bed each plat- 
ter was covered with silver dishes, and in the dishes 
was a dinner fit for a king, beginning with soup 
and finishing with apple dumplings, just as Ric had 
wanted. 

“Well,” said the Looking Glass Man, “how does 
that strike you?” 

But before he could say any more, and before 
Ric and his grandfather had a chance to taste the 
good things, the door opened and in walked Ric’s 
grandmother also carrying a tray. And then like 
lightning the Looking Glass Man snapped his fin- 
gers and the trays on the bed disappeared, dishes 
and all, but not before Ric’s grandmother had seen 
them and stopped short with her mouth open. 

“Why — why — why — ” she gasped. 

And then she put her tray down with a bang and 

32 


THE LOOKING GLASS MAN 


looked all over the bed, and all under the bed, and 
when she saw nothing but Ric and his grandfather 
lying there beneath the covers, she sat down in the 
nearest chair with another bang and said in a loud 
tone that she must have caught the fever herself, 
and here was a pretty how do you do. “Of 
course,” she added, “it was the fever that made you 
think you came through the wall, whereas you 
really came through the door while I was dozing, 
I suppose. And it is the fever that made me think 
I saw dishes on the bed just now, so I suppose I 
ought to go to bed and stay there like you.” 

“By all means,” said Ric’s grandfather. “We 
can get along very nicely.” 

“But,” went on Ric’s grandmother, “I shall do 
nothing of the kind. I may be taking my life in 
my hands, but I am not one to give up when I am 
nursing other people, no sir-ee.” 

And with that she put her tray on the bed and 
told Ric and his grandfather to help themselves to 
the tea and toast it contained while she went down- 
stairs and telephoned to the doctor about herself. 
33 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


'‘My goodness,” said Reflecto, when Ric’s grand- 
mother had disappeared, “you certainly will have a 
grand doctor’s bill, won’t you?” 

“Yes,’’ snapped Ric’s grandfather, “and whose 
fault is it?” He sat up in bed and shook his fist at 
the Looking Glass man. “How are we ever going 
to get out of this mess. I’d like to know?” 

The Looking Glass Man took off his cap and 
scratched his head thoughtfully. “I’ll tell you 
what,” he said, “suppose I create a diversion?” 

“What’s that?” asked Ric. 

“Oh, something to take your grandma’s mind off 
this fever business. Something to make her forget 
all about it. Something unexpected and exciting, 
you know. How would this do ?” 

Throwing his robe over his head he whirled about 
and chanted : 

Come from the jungle — come from your lair, 

Roaring and crouching, with fierce eyes a-glare, 

King of all creatures, divert us, I say — 

Hasten and chase all our troubles away. 

Scarcelv had he finished when from nowhere in 

34 



Over the bed it leaped roaring 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


particular there bounded into the room the largest, 
the shaggiest, and the most diverting African lion 
you could imagine. Over the bed it leaped roar- 
ing; up toward the ceiling it sprang with a snarl, 
around the room it galloped with a throaty rumble 
that shook the furniture. But what it did after 
that neither Ric nor his grandfather could say, for 
they had the bed covers over their heads, and of 
course you cannot hear much or see much when you 
are that way, and besides they were busy yelling 
and yelling at the top of their lungs. 

Well, if you lived in a house and were down- 
stairs, and heard shrieks and roars upstairs, you 
would certainly wonder what was the matter. 
And that is exactly what Ric’s grandmother did, 
and not only she, but the cook, and the housemaid, 
and the gardener also, — all came rushing upstairs 
as fast as they could. But when they opened the 
bedroom door and saw the African lion busily cre- 
ating the diversion the Looking Glass Man had 
ordered him to, they all rushed downstairs again, or 
at least they fell downstairs and out the front door 

36 


THE LOOKING GLASS MAN 


calling for the police. And when the Looking 
Glass Man saw them do that, he rubbed his hands 
gleefully, snapped his fingers and, bing — the lion 
vanished. Then he went to the bed and stripped 
back the covers. 

“It’s all right,” he said, “he’s gone. And it 
worked fine. Your grandma has forgotten all 
about the fever. I’m sure.” 

Ric’s grandfather had his arms about Ric, and 
Ric had his arms about his grandfather, and for a 
moment neither of them stirred. And then Ric’s 
grandfather opened one eye, after which he leaped 
to his feet, seized a pillow and knocked the Look- 
ing Glass Man flat on his back. 

“You get out of this house,” he bawled. “Come 
on, Ric, go for him.” 

And Ric, jumping from the bed seized another 
pillow and whacked the Looking Glass Man also. 

“Ouch! Hold on! Hold on!” shouted Re- 
flecto. “This is no way to treat a person who is 
fond of you. I’ll try another diversion. One 
you’ll like. I know lots of ’em.” 

37 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“You dare/’ bellowed Ric’s grandfather, giving 
the Looking Glass Man another bang that sent him 
sprawling. 

“All right,” said the Looking Glass Man, scram- 
bling to his feet with a scowl on his face, “just as 
you say. I did think when I saw you and your 
grandson in the drug store that you were persons I 
could become truly attached to, but now I see I’ve 
made a mistake. You are quite impossible, and as 
for your family — phew — they are still more so. 
Farewell forever!” 

And with that he disappeared, and when Ric’s 
grandmother, and the cook, and the housemaid, and 
the gardener, and most of the neighbors came hur- 
rying back with all the policemen they could col- 
lect, all they saw was Ric and his grandfather 
standing in the middle of the room looking rather 
bewildered. 

Well, of course, they had to go to bed again, for 
the more they tried to explain, the more everybody 
was convinced they were ill. And when the doctor 

38 


THE LOOKING GLASS MAN 


arrived and Ric’s grandmother, and the cook, and 
the housemaid, and the gardener, told him how 
they had seen an African lion in the room, he made 
them go to bed also. But after a day or two every- 
body got tired of staying in bed, and everybody got 
up whether the doctor liked it or not. 

“My goodness,” said Ric’s grandfather, as he 
and Ric sat at the window watching the people 
passing by, “if I only felt sure that Looking Glass 
Man wouldn’t find us again I’d suggest that we go 
to the drug store for another chocolate soda, but as 
it is I’m afraid to stir out. I wonder where the 
scoundrel is?” 

“I know,” said Ric. 

“What,” exclaimed Ric’s grandfather, leaping 
out of his chair with a startled expression, “you 
know where he is?” 

“Sure,” said Ric. 

Then he went to a bureau drawer and brought 
out the little mirror the Looking Glass Man had 
had. 


39 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


‘‘It fell out of his pocket the last time you hit 
him,” he said, “and I picked it up. See, there he 
is, and frowning, too.” 

Sure enough, there was Reflecto, curled up in 
the mirror and looking as mad as a wet hen. 

“Ah,” said Ric’s grandfather, “so there he is, 
eh?” 

Then he took the mirror from Ric and he brought 
it down ker-whack on the toe of his boot so that it 
broke into a thousand pieces. 

“Now,” he said, “we’ll get our hats and have 
those chocolate sodas, for we need worry no longer 
about that Looking Glass Man.” 


40 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


It was a beautiful, clear morning when Joey Per- 
kins first met the Flying Elephant. Joey was 
eight and as plump and happy as any little boy of 
eight ought to be. As for the Flying Elephant, 
his name was Woop and he lived in the Zoological 
Gardens not far from Joey’s home. Indeed the 
Zoo was so close to Joey’s home he frequently came 
to the Gardens by himself and sat on a bench and 
ate peanuts, and nine times out of ten he chose the 
bench that was opposite Woop’s cage. And that 
is how he came to find out that Woop was a Flying 
Elephant. 

Now Woop, like all elephants, liked peanuts, 
and it may be because Joey always shared his with 
him, half and half, that Woop felt he ought to do 
something in return. Anyway, on this particular 
June morning as Joey sat on his bench watching 

41 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Woop, and nobody else seemed to be around, the 
elephant suddenly thrust his trunk between the 
bars of his cage and beckoned to the boy in a 
friendly manner. 

“Pist !” he said, “come closer. I want to tell you 
something.” 

“Eh?” retorted Joey, sitting up very straight 
and looking exceedingly startled. 

“Come here,” repeated the elephant. 

Now Joey knew elephants were pretty smart and 
could do all sorts of tricks, but he did not know they 
could talk. Indeed if one of the peanuts he was 
munching had bitten him he could not have been 
more surprised. So he just sat still and stared and 
stared. 

“What’s the matter with you?” asked the ele- 
phant, fretfully. “Don’t you hear what I say?” 

“Why — why yes,” said Joey, “but I — I — I 
didn’t know you could say — say things.” 

“Huh!” retorted the animal, “well I should 
think I could. Why I can speak three languages : 
American, Hindustani and elephant talk. And 
42 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


now listen, I’m going back home where I used to 
live and I’d like to have you come along, for you’ve 
been awfully good to me.” 

'‘But,” said Joey, “how can you go home when 
you are locked in a cage?” 

“Oh, that’s easy,” said Woop, “all I have to do 
is to fly over the top like this.” 

And with that he gave a sort of hop, flapped his 
legs rapidly, and bing — over the top of the cage he 
came like a feather. Then the minute he got out- 
side he twisted his trunk around Joey and placed 
him back of his ears. Then he cried: “Hold on 
tight!” gave another hop, flapped his legs again, 
kept on flapping them, and up into the air they 
sailed, right over the Zoological Gardens. 

“Now,” said Woop, “whatever else you do be 
sure and look at the view. I hope you’re fond of 
scenery.” 

“Oh, yes,” said Joey. 

“I just love it,” said Woop, “in fact, I don’t 
know which I like best, scenery or peanuts.” 

So away they went across the city, over the riv- 

43 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


ers, over the mountains, and over the oceans like a 
German war balloon. 

“You see,” went on Woop, flapping his legs as 
though they were wound up, “I’m what you call a 
Flying Elephant, one of the rarest animals on 
earth, and I used to have a splendid job working for 
the Bangswat of Sumware. And then one day 
when I was on a picnic in the jungle these Zoolog- 
ical people caught me and made me work for them.” 

“Why, I never saw you work,” said Joey. 
“Whenever I’ve been near your cage you seemed 
to be doing nothing.” 

“Well, isn’t that work? Let me tell you that 
the hardest work of all is to do nothing. Now in 
the old days the Bangswat of Sumware employed 
me to do lighthouse cleaning, an-d I had every 
Thursday and every Sunday off. And as I re- 
cently got word that the elephant that took my 
place was foolish enough to join a circus. I’m going 
back to apply for the job again.” 

“But,” said Joey, “how can an elephant do light 
house-cleaning? I never heard of such a thing.” 

44 



Away they went over the mountains 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Perhaps not/’ said Woop, “but after you’ve 
lived a little longer you will find out there are quite 
a number of things you have never heard of.” 

By this time the gilded domes and towers of the 
city of Sumware were in sight, and presently the 
Flying Elephant stopped flapping his legs and they 
dropped gently to the ground and found them- 
selves in the park surrounding the royal palace. 
And no sooner had they landed than a number of 
white turbaned men ran toward them, and after 
they had walked around Woop several times, they 
danced up and down and clapped their hands, and 
ran off to.tell the Bangswat. 

“See that,” said the Flying Elephant, looking up 
at Joey, “I’ve been away thirteen years but the 
Bangswat’s servants still remember me.” 

And presently when the servants returned they 
bowed and salaamed and led the way to the palace 
with great rejoicing. 

“Well, well, well,” exclaimed the Bangswat of 
Sumware, as Woop entered the royal courtyard 
with Joey still perched back of his ears, “if this 
46 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


isn’t a dee-lightful surprise. I never, never 
thought I’d see you again, Woop.” 

“Then you must have forgotten I was a Flying 
Elephant, your highness,” said Woop. “Being a 
Flying Elephant I could have come back at any 
time.” 

“Then why didn’t you?” asked the Bangswat of 
Sumware. 

“Because, “ said Woop, “I only heard a day or 
two ago that my old job was open, and I didn’t pro- 
pose to give up my place at the Zoo, unpleasant 
though it was, until I was sure of another.” 

Then whirling his trunk over his head he lifted 
Joey down and introduced him to the Bangswat of 
Sumware. “If it hadn’t been for this boy and his 
peanuts,” he said, “I don’t know how I should have 
stood it at the Zoo. So when I decided to leave, I 
also decided to bring him with me, and I hope you’ll 
be nice to him.” 

“I certainly will,” said the Bangswat of Sum- 
ware, “and if he doesn’t have a good time, it won’t 
be my fault.” 


47 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Then he told Joey that any friend of Woop’s was 
a friend of his. “You see,” he went on, “Woop 
used to work for me years and years ago, or at least 
he was all ready for work when the work was ready 
for him.” 

“Why, what do you mean?” said Joey. “I 
thought you engaged him to do light houseclean- 
ing.” 

“I did,” said the Bangswat of Sumware, “and the 
first time we go to the seashore he’s going to do it.” 

“But,” said Joey, “what has light housecleaning 
to do with the seashore? I should think he could 
do it anywhere.” 

“Of course I can’t,” put in the Flying Elephant. 
“How can I clean a lighthouse until I have a light- 
house to clean? And how can we get a lighthouse 
until we go to the seashore?” 

“A lighthouse?” repeated Joey. 

“Yes, a lighthouse. Don’t you know what a 
lighthouse is? One of those tall, round things like 
a fat chimney, standing near the ocean, with a lamp 
on top.” 


48 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


“Oh, I see,” said Joey. “I thought you meant 
regular light housecleaning.” 

“Well, so we do,” said the Bangs wat of Sum- 
ware. “Goodness knows, cleaning a lighthouse is 
regular lighthouse cleaning if it’s a regular light- 
house and you clean it in a regular way, isn’t it?” 

“Y — es,” replied Joey, feeling rather confused, 
“I suppose so.” 

“Well, then,” said Woop, crossly, “what are you 
fussing about?” 

“Oh,” said Joey, “I didn’t mean to fuss. It 
only seemed so queer — ” 

“Dear me,” interrupted the Bangswat of Sum- 
ware, “you’ll get used to queer things after you’ve 
been here a few years.” 

“A few years?” echoed Joey, “Oh, I can’t stay 
even one year. School starts soon and I simply 
must be on hand.” 

“Sakes alive,” exclaimed Woop, “are you going 
to commence to fuss about that, too?” 

“Yes,” said the Bangswat of Sum ware, “and be- 
sides you may have to go back shortly anyway.” 

49 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Why, how is that?” asked the Flying Elephant. 

“Well,” said the Bangswat of Sumware, “the 
Imesore of Jumphi, a neighboring monarch, is 
spending the week-end at the palace and he is very 
mad at me. He has a daughter and he wants to 
marry her to my son, but as I haven’t even a wife, 
let alone a son, he can’t do it, and for that reason he 
threatens to make war on me. And of course you 
can’t tell what will happen when there is a war.” 

“Phew!” said Woop, scratching his front left 
ankle with his right hind foot, “that’s bad,” and 
then suddenly he trumpeted excitedly. “I have 
it!” he cried. “Why not adopt Joey as your son 
and he can marry the Imesore of Jumphi’ s daugh- 
ter.” 

“Fine!” shouted the Bangswat of Sumware, “I’ll 
do it.” 

Well, you may be sure when Joey heard he was 
to be married to the daughter of the Imesore of 
Jumphi he felt very, very uneasy and wished he 
was back home again. He knew of course that lots 
of people got married and seemed to be glad about 

50 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


it, but as for himself he did not want to be married 
— not yet awhile, anyway. And even when he did 
get married he did not want to marry a young lady 
he had never seen. So he told the Bangswat of 
Sumware and the Flying Elephant just how he felt 
about it. 

“That's all right. I understand,” said the 
Bangswat of Sumware, “you’re nervous. But 
you’ll get over it.” 

“Sure you will,” said Woop. “Everybody feels 
nervous at first. Of course Fve never been mar- 
ried myself but I can easily imagine how you feel.” 

And though Joey tried his best to explain that it 
was not nervousness because he was to be married, 
but nervousness for fear he would be, both the 
Bangswat of Sumware and the Flying Elephant 
seemed to take it as a joke and went into the palace 
laughing heartily. 

“Oh, my gracious,” said Joey to himself, “what- 
ever shall I do. However can I go back to school 
if I get married to the daughter of the Imesore of 
Jumphi? I know the teacher would think it aw- 

51 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


fully queer, and Fm sure my father and mother 
would not like it at all. And — and Fm not going 
to be married and that’s all there is to it.” 

Whereupon he marched into the palace to find 
the Bangswat of Sumware and tell him once more 
how he felt. However, the palace was large and it 
had a great many rooms and he simply could not 
find the Bangswat of Sumware. So presently 
hearing music in one of the apartments he opened 
the door and peeped in, and there, sitting on a heap 
of cushions, strumming upon a lute, was a fierce 
looking gentleman in a yellow silk gown, with a 
red turban on his head, and a glittering scimitar 
stuck in a sash about his waist. His eyes were 
black and, my, how they flashed as he sang : 

Let those who wish be calm and kind, 

To no such life am I inclined. 

I have to quarrel all day and night, 

And lose my temper with all my might. 

I have to rage, and rave, and roar. 

And tear my hair as I walk the floor ; 

And get so mad I cannot speak, 

And sulk and frown for an entire week. 


52 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


For if I don’t the doctors say 
I’ll soon be in an awful way. 

So I lose my temper a la mode 
For if I didn’t I’d just explode. 

As the stranger sang, Joey, growing more and 
more interested, edged further and further into the 
room, and finally when the song was over, he found 
himself right in front of the man on the cushions. 

“Well,"’ said the other, “how did you like it*? 
Of course I made it up as I went along, but I think 
it had quite a dash, don’t you^” 

“Quite a dash,” said Joey. “But do you really 
have to lose your temper the way you said in the 
song^” 

“I certainly do,” said the stranger, “and any one 
that knows the Imesore of Jumphi knows that I 
do.” 

“Oh,” exclaimed Joey, “are you the Imesore of 
Jumphi?” 

“Positively,” replied the other, “and I suppose 
you are spending the week-end with the Bangswat 
of Sum ware the same as I am. Are you royal?” 

53 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“I — I — I don’t know what you mean,” said Joey. 

“Why, is your blood blue?” 

_ “No,” said Joey, “it’s red. That is, it always is 
when my nose bleeds.” 

“Hum,” said the Imesore of Jumphi, “then you 
wouldn’t do to marry my daughter. Her blood is 
a deep, rich blue and her temper is like a pack of 
fire-crackers. I just love to sit and watch her 
scratch and bite her governess.” 

“Oh,” said Joey, “do you?” 

Then he thought to himself that no matter what 
happened he would not marry the Imesore of 
Jumphi’ s daughter. 

“Yes,” went on the Imesore of Jumphi, “my 
daughter takes right after me. Indeed I think 
she’s ahead of me when it comes to losing her tem- 
per. I’m sorry your blood is not blue so you could 
marry her but it doesn’t matter, for I can easily 
marry her to the son of the Bangswat of Sumware.” 

“But,” said Joey, “he hasn’t got any son.” 

“He has, too,” snapped the Imesore of Jumphi, 
“he just says that to be nasty.” 

54 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


'‘Oh, no,” said Joey, “really he hasn’t. He told 
me so.” 

The Imesore of Jumphi rose to his feet and drew 
his scimitar. “He did, eh. Then the sooner war 
is declared the better. The idea of insulting my 
daughter that way.” 

With a frightful yell he rushed from the room 
and the moment he did so, out from under the 
cushions crawled the Bangswat of Sumware. 

“Goodness!” exclaimed Joey, “were you under 
there all the time?” 

“Yes,” said the Bangswat of Sumware, “I was. 
I don’t care for that person at all and wishing to 
avoid him I ran in here. And then as luck would 
have it he came in, too, and knowing if we saw each 
other that / might hurt him^ I hid under the cush- 
ions and he has been sitting on me ever since.” 

“Then,” said Joey, “you must have heard what 
he said about declaring war.” 

“Oh, yes,” said the Bangswat of Sumware, “I 
heard, and I must say that it is all your fault that he 
has declared it. If you had only stayed outside the 
55 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


palace until I adopted you, you could have married 
his daughter, for your blood would have been blue 
by adoption, but now — we’ll have a fine time.” 

And indeed it seemed as though they would, for 
suddenly the door burst open and in rushed Woop, 
the Flying Elephant, his eyes rolling with terror. 
“Run, run!” he gasped. “He’s coming! He’s 
coming!” 

Instantly the Bangswat of Sumware dove be- 
neath the cushions again, and Woop would have 
followed him only there were not enough cushions 
to go round. 

“Oh me, oh my!” wailed the elephant, “where 
will we hide? He’ll catch us sure.” 

And sure enough there was no place to hide, for 
the Imesore of Jumphi hated furniture and when 
he stayed at the palace would have nothing but 
cushions in the room he occupied. So there was 
nothing for Joey to do but to hide behind Woop, 
and nothing for Woop to do but hide behind Joey. 
And thus it was that the Imesore of Jumphi found 
them. 


56 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


‘'Ah ha!” he shouted, waving his scimitar and 
showing as many of his teeth as he could, “where is 
the Bangswat of Sumware? Where is he, eh*?” 

Now Joey was just about as scared as he could be 
and Woop was even more scared, but neither one 
had the slightest intention of telling on the Bang- 
swat of Sumware. 

“Where is he, I say*?” bawled the Imesore of 
Jumphi. With another slash of his scimitar he ad- 
vanced toward Joey, and though Joey tried to get 
behind Woop he could not do it because Woop was 
behind him^ and had backed into a corner. 

“You — you — you go away,” cried Joey to the 
Imesore of Jumphi in a trembling voice, “and — 
and — and don’t you hit me with that thing or I’ll 

— ni— ” 

And then because he did not know what else to 
do he made a step toward the Imesore of Jumphi, 
and as he did so found out to his surprise just what 
a great many other people have found out, and that 
is, that the person who yells the loudest and seems 
to be the fiercest fighter, is not a fighter at all ; for 

57 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


when he stepped toward the Imesore of Jumphi 
that gentleman gave a gasp and hopped backward. 
And instantly Joey knew that in spite of all the 
noise he made, the Imesore of Jumphi was a cow- 
ard. And when Joey found that out he just gave 
the loudest screech he could and rushed at the Ime- 
sore of Jumphi, scimitar and all. 

“Wow!” shrieked the Imesore of Jumphi, drop- 
ping his scimitar and making for the door. 

“Scat!” yelled Joey, picking up the scimitar and 
rushing after him. 

Down the royal corridor tore the Imesore of 
Jumphi with Joey after him. Out the palace door 
bounded the Imesore of Jumphi and across the 
royal park, Joey close at his heels, while the Bang- 
swat of Sumware and Woop, the Flying Elephant, 
and all the court leaned out of the window and 
cheered like mad. 

And presently when Joey, having chased the 
Imesore of Jumphi through the gate of the city, 
came back breathless but smiling, the Bangswat of 
Sumware fell on his neck and wept, and Woop 

58 


THE FLYING ELEPHANT 


would have fallen on his neck too, only Joey was 
afraid to risk it. 

“Talk about heroes,’’ said the Bangswat of Sum- 
ware, shaking Joey’s hand until it ached, “my dear 
sir, I shall erect a statue of you in the public square 
and as you grow old in our midst you will find that 
the Bangswat of Sumware never forgets a brave 
deed done in his behalf.” 

But Joey shook his head. “Thank you very 
much,” he said, “I don’t mind the statue but I can- 
not grow old in your midst, because I’ve got to go 
home right away, I really have. I just happened 
to remember that my folks are going away and I’ve 
got to go with them.” 

And though the Bangswat of Sumware coaxed 
and coaxed, Joey stuck to his plan, and so at last 
the Bangswat of Sumware told Woop to fly back 
home with him. “And then,” he said to the Flying 
Elephant, “you can return and do that lighthouse 
cleaning for me.” 

“Ahem,” said Woop, “I could but I won’t. I’m 
very sorry to say it but the fact is I’m afraid that 
59 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


cleaning lighthouses would — er — er strain my 
tusks, and besides, I think I prefer peace and pea- 
nuts at the Zoological Gardens. The Imesore of 
Jumphi might come back, you know.” 

So the next morning after a touching farewell 
scene with the Bangswat of Sumware, Joey and 
Woop set out for the Zoological Gardens. 

“I suppose my folks will wonder where Fve 
been,” said Joey, as Woop flapped his legs and they 
sailed along, ‘'and Fm afraid they won’t believe 
it if I tell them.” 

“Don’t you worry about that,” said Woop. 
“To be a Flying Elephant you’ve got to have more 
or less magical skill, and I’ll wish the clocks back 
so they’ll never know you’ve been away at all.” 

And sure enough when they arrived at the Zoo 
and Woop was once more in his cage and Joey once 
more on his bench, it seemed as though nothing had 
happened, and that there had never been such a 
thing as a Flying Elephant. But of course you 
know differently for you have just finished read- 
ing all about it. 


6o 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


Some witches are witches because they are born 
that way. And some witches are witches because 
they learn to be witches, and the ones that learn to 
be witches are the ones you want to look out for. 
They think they are very smart while they are 
learning and are always trying to show off, and to 
get ordinary people into trouble. And that is the 
sort of witch that Tod Blinker and his aunt, and six 
little cousins came across one day when they were 
on a picnic. 

Tod was seven years old. His parents were 
dead and he lived with his aunt, who was a widow, 
and her six children ; and as it crowded the house 
pretty well when they were all at home, his aunt 
always liked to go to the country on a picnic when- 
ever the weather was fine. 

“Not that I care so much for picnics,” she used to 
say, “but it’s better to go picnicking than go crazy, 
6i 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


which is what I shall do if I stay in a three room 
cottage much longer with seven children.” 

And after that she always used to add that she 
was going to put Tod in an orphanage, which made 
him very sad, for he much preferred to stay with 
his aunt and cousins even though it was crowded. 

Well, the picnic they went on this time was held 
in a pretty little spot where the grass was green and 
a group of trees made a shady place to sit down 
and eat their luncheon, and everything was going 
along finely, when just as they were thinking it was 
about time to spread their luncheon, up came a 
thunder shower and wet them all to the skin, just 
as it often seems to do when a person goes on a pic- 
nic. And not only did it wet them but it kept on 
wetting them so that they all began to run to see if 
they could not find shelter of some sort. 

Presently when they were so wet it seemed as 
though they could not be wetter, they came to a 
cottage with a small garden in the rear, and knock- 
ing at the door, asked for shelter. 

“What,” said the queer old woman who an- 
62 



Some witches are witches because they are born that way. 






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I 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


swered the knock, “come in my nice dry cottage 
dripping that way? Never! But I’ll tell you 
what you can do, go in the back garden and hang 
by your hands on my clothes line, and you will soon 
dry off.” 

“Dry off,” repeated Tod’s aunt, indignantly, 
“with it raining in bucketfuls ? What nonsense !” 

“Oh, I’ll fix that all right,” said the old woman. 

Whereupon she snapped her fingers, and bing — 
out came the sun as hot and brilliant as ever, while 
the rain stopped as though some one had turned it 
off. 

“Now,” said the owner of the cottage, “go and 
hang yourselves on my clothes line and you’ll be 
dry in a jiffy/’ 

And that is just what happened. Yes, sir-ee, no 
sooner had Tod and his aunt and his six little cous- 
ins grasped the old woman’s clothes line and hung 
there a moment, than they were as dry as a bone, 
but when they wanted to let go, ah, that was an- 
other thing, for they simply could not do it. And 
my, how they all yelled when they found they could 

63 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


not. And my, how the old woman laughed at 
them. 

‘‘Serves you right,” she cackled, “for bothering a 
witch.” 

“Oh,” stammered Tod, “are — are — are you a 
witch?” 

“Certainly I am,” snapped the owner of the cot- 
tage, “and a mighty smart one, too, for not only 
have I got you all fast on my clothes line, but Fll 
soon have you properly shrunken for pickling, 
also.” 

And when Tod’s aunt and his cousins heard her 
say that, they carried on worse than ever. 

“Be still! Be still!” commanded the witch, 
stamping her foot. “Did I ever hear such a fuss 
over nothing.” 

“A fuss over nothing?” shrieked Tod’s aunt. 
“Do you suppose we’re accustomed to hanging to a 
clothes line like this? We’re respectable people.” 

“Boo hoo ! We want to go home,” wailed Tod’s 
six little cousins. 

But all the witch did was to take hold of Tod, 

64 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


snap her fingers again and pull him off the line. 

“Go and get me a bucket of water at once/’ she 
said. 

And when Tod brought the water she soaked his 
aunt and his cousins from head to foot. 

“I must get you shrunken down to about three 
inches/’ she said, “before I can pickle you.” 

And when they shuddered she cackled again, and 
told Tod that after she was through with his rela- 
tives she would attend to him also. 

Well, you may be sure if there was an unhappy 
boy it was Tod. Even though his aunt had 
wanted to put him in an orphanage, he was still 
quite fond of her, and now that she was in danger 
of being pickled he was twice as fond of her. And 
when he thought of his six little cousins being 
pickled also, and maybe himself, it just seemed 
more than he could stand. 

“See here,” he cried to the witch, “what do you 
mean by acting this way? We never did any- 
thing to you. You seem to have an awfully mean 
disposition.” 


6 ^ 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“I have/’ replied the witch, proudly, ‘'and it is 
getting worse every day. The meaner your dis- 
position the greater the witch you are. I suppose 
you have a good disposition.” 

“Well,” said Tod, “I have a better one than 
you.” 

“I don’t see why,” replied the witch. “If my 
aunt talked about putting me in an orphanage Yd 
have a real mean disposition so far as she was con- 
cerned. And yet I suppose you would like to keep 
her from being pickled, wouldn’t you*?” 

“Yes,” said Tod, “I would.” 

“Well, you wont,” replied the owner of the cot- 
tage. “You’ll just keep on soaking your aunt and 
cousins until they are small enough to pickle. 
That’s what I pulled you off the line for.” And 
with that she walked into her house and shut the 
door. 

Tod looked at his aunt and his aunt looked at 
him. “Don’t you dare to soak us,” she said, kick- 
ing this way and that in an effort to get loose. 

“I don’t intend to,” said Tod. 

66 





Tod looked at his aunt and his aunt looked at him 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“I should think not” snapped his aunt. “You 
go off at once and get a policeman or something.” 

So Tod hurried away to see if he could find a 
policeman but the only person he came across was a 
little, white haired gentleman chasing bugs in a 
field with a bottle in his hand. 

“Have you seen any policemen about here?’ in- 
quired Tod. 

“Policemen*?” replied the old gentleman, po- 
litely, “no, not that I remember. Are you collect- 
ing them*?” 

“Collecting them?’ said Tod, “of course not. 
What a silly question.” 

“ ’Tisn’t silly at all,” snapped the stranger. “A 
person can collect anything they want to, can’t 
they ? I suppose the next thing you’ll say it’s silly 
for me to collect bugs.” 

“Well,” replied Tod, “I dorit see much sense in 
it.” 

The old gentleman sniffed. “Indeed, not even 
when I tell you that they are potato bugs, eh*?” 

“No,” said Tod, “I don’t.” 

68 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


“Then/’ said the other, “you are very ignorant or 
else very wealthy and perfectly indifferent to the 
present price of potatoes. Potatoes are worth 
their weight in gold, and potato bugs are worth 
even more than tlfat. That is why I am collecting 
them.” 

“Oh, is it?” said Tod. 

“Yes,” continued the old gentleman, “it is. 
And when I have collected ten thousand of the 
insects, what shall I do with them?” 

“I don’t know,” said Tod. 

Once more the old gentleman sniffed. “I knew 
you’d say that. Well, I shall distribute them 
among the poor. One to each family.” 

“What for?” asked the boy. 

“What for? Why, so the poor may have pota- 
toes. It’s this way. A potato bug must have po- 
tatoes and so must the poor. I give a bug to a poor 
family, then they turn it loose and follow wherever 
it goes. If anything can find a potato a potato bug 
can, and when it finds it the poor family grabs the 
potato and starts the bug hunting for more. You 
69 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


see, Fin what is known as a Philanthropist. Fm 
always trying to help others.” 

“Then,” said Tod, “maybe you’ll help me.” 

And with that he told the old gentleman all 
about his aunt and his cousins, and how the witch 
had caught them. “I must rescue them,” he added, 
“and I must do it quick or they will be pickled. 
Couldn’t you let your bugs wait awhile and help 
me?” 

“Why, yes,” said the old gentleman, “I suppose 
I could. In fact, I will.” 

Whereupon he put his bottle in his pocket, took 
Tod by the arm and started for the witch’s cottage. 
“No doubt,” he said, “you think Fm an odd fish, 
but we must all have our pastimes, you know. Or 
to put it poetically : 

A hobby is a funny thing — 

Some sit and gossip, dance, or sing. 

Some golf, or swim or row a boat — 

Some don’t do anything but vote. 

In fact, we all have different ways 
Of filling in our idle days. 

70 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


Some dote on oriental rugs — 

I much prefer potato bugs. 

And each one thinks his hobby best 
And cannot understand the rest. 

His fond delusion tight he hugs — 

And so — I hunt potato bugs. 

Presently they reached the gate of the witch’s 
garden and Tod hurried the Philanthropist inside 
to show how his aunt and cousins were hanging on 
the clothes line. “See,” he began, as they turned 
the corner of the cottage. And then he stopped 
and stared, and stared, for his aunt and his cousins 
and the clothes line had completely disappeared. 

“Hum,” said the old gentleman, with a frown, 
“I’ve often heard that boys were fond of fooling 
folks.” 

“No, no,” cried Tod, “really I haven’t been try- 
ing to fool you. They were all here a little while 
ago. Some one must have taken them away.” 
Then he gave a shout and clutched the old gentle- 
man’s arm convulsively. “Oh, I wonder if the 
witch took them indoors to pickle them.” 

71 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


The Philanthropist rolled up his eyes and 
scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Perhaps she 
did, and then again, perhaps she didn’t. I always 
look at both sides of a Question and rarely make a 
mistake.” 

Then he asked Tod whether his aunt and his 
cousins had their luncheon with them. 

“Oh, yes,” said Tod, “when we go on picnics my 
aunt always carries the luncheon in her knitting 
bag fastened to her waist. And she was awfully 
angry when it got wet.” 

“Hum,” said the old gentleman, “and what did 
the luncheon consist of?’ 

“Well,” said Tod, “there was potato salad, 
and ” 

“Enough,” bawled the Philanthropist, hopping 
up and down with excitement. 

Then he took his bottle of potato bugs from his 
pocket, selected quite a large potato bug and let it 
go. “Watch it,” he said, “for where that bug goes 
is where your aunt is. A potato bug can find po- 
tato salad the same as plain potatoes.” 

72 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


So Tod and the Philanthropist, quivering with 
expectation watched the big, fat, striped potato 
bug crawl and fly, crawl and fly, until at last what 
did it do but go right through the keyhole in the 
front door of the witch’s cottage. 

“I knew it ! I knew it !” said the old gentleman, 
rubbing his hands, gleefully. “My dear sir, a po- 
tato bug is the greatest invention of the age.” 

With that he rang the witch’s doorbell violently. 
“I’ll be polite at first,” he said, “and then if she gets 
sassy I’ll give her a piece of my mind.” 

Ting-a-ling! Ting-a-ling! went the doorbell, 
but no one came. 

“Maybe she isn’t at home,” suggested Tod. 

“Maybe not,” said the Philanthropist, “but even 
if she isn’t, your aunt’s luncheon is, for you can’t 
fool a potato bug. And I guess wherever your 
aunt’s luncheon is, your aunt and your cousins are 
also.” 

“Oh, yes,” said Tod, “they don’t like to be sep- 
arated.” 

“Then,” said the old gentleman, “whether the 

73 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


witch is home or not, your aunt and cousins are, 
and if some one does not answer the bell we’ll burst 
in the door.” 

But some one did answer the bell. Yes, sir-ee, 
the witch answered the bell. All of a sudden she 
jerked the door open, and jerked Tod and the 
Philanthropist inside and into the parlor before 
they knew what was happening to them. 

“Now,” she said, “what do you mean by ringing 
my doorbell in such a manner?” 

And then the Philanthropist told her quite po- 
litely that they had called to take Tod’s aunt and 
cousins home. 

“Indeed,” sneered the witch, “well, they are not 
going home, at least not until they are pickled, and 
after that I guess they’ll be ashamed to go home.” 
And she cackled very disagreeably. 

“Madam,” thundered the Philanthropist, “you 
are no lady. I shall now give you a piece of my 
mind.” 

And he did — quite a large piece, too, while Tod 
sat with his mouth open and the witch almost 
74 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


panted with rage as she tried to get a word in edge- 
ways. 

“Stop! Stop!” she shrieked at last, “and you 
shall go up to the garret to see this miserable boy’s 
miserable aunt and her children.” 

“Good,” said the old gentleman, “lead the 
way.” 

And presently Tod and the Philanthropist stood 
in the garret looking sorrowfully at Tod’s aunt and 
his six cousins still hanging to the clothes line, 
which was stretched from one corner of the room to 
another, in company with several strings of onions 
and a ham or two. 

“Gracious goodness!” groaned Tod’s aunt, when 
she saw the boy, “haven’t you found a policeman 
yet?” 

“No,” said Tod, “but I found a Philanthropist.” 

“What’s that?” asked Tods aunt. “Can he ar- 
rest people?” 

“No,” put in the old gentleman, “I do not arrest 
people — I help them ; and I shall now help you by 
taking you away from this stuffy old place.” He 
75 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


turned to the witch. “And don’t you try to stop 
me, either.” 

The witch smiled a very queer smile. “Of 
course not. Not for the world. You can’t take 
’em away too quick for me.” 

Then she told Tod to untie one end of the clothes 
line and the old gentleman the other. And then 
the moment they touched the rope to untie it, she 
snapped her fingers, and bing — there was Tod and 
the Philanthropist fastened to the clothes line by 
their hands also. 

“Ho, ho, ho,” laughed the witch, pointing her 
finger at Tod and the old gentleman, “I thought 
you were going to take them home.” 

“You — you — you — ” stammered the Philan- 
thropist. “What do you mean by such behavior 
Let us loose at once !” 

But all the witch did was to go out and slam the 
door after her. 

“Cheese and crackers !” exclaimed the old gentle- 
man, “do you suppose she is actually going to leave 
me here this way^” 


76 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


‘*0f course she is,” snapped Tod’s aunt, ‘‘why 
not? You’re no better than I am.” 

“But — but — ” began the Philanthropist, “I 
have at least eight thousand more potato bugs to 
collect. I have no time to hang upon a clothes 
line.” 

“Humph!” said Tod’s aunt, “nor have I. I 
have my house-cleaning to do and about eight thou- 
sand pairs of stockings to darn.” 

“Oh, please,” put in Tod, “don’t let us quarrel 
about it. Let’s see — ” 

“I shall quarrel about it,” interrupted the old 
gentleman, angrily. “I shall quarrel about it, I 
tell you. And the less you say the better. If it 
hadn’t been for you I’d be chasing bugs instead of 
hanging here.” 

“Indeed,” said Tod’s aunt, glaring at the Phil- 
anthropist, “well, go off and chase your bugs, we 
don’t want you.” 

“Boo hoo!” wailed Tod’s six little cousins, all 
kicking at once, “we want to go home.” 

“Oh, dear,” said Tod to himself, “it does seem 

77 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


as though all of us were quite sour enough to pickle 
ourselves'' 

And though he did not know it, that was the 
very reason the witch had hung them on the clothes 
line, for she knew if they hung there long enough 
they would get sourer and sourer and finally would 
pickle themselves. 

But as you know, just when things seem to be at 
their very worst, they often turn about and get to 
be their best, and that is what happened in this case, 
for as Tod, swinging miserably to and fro, hap- 
pened to glance out of the attic window, what did 
he see but another witch on her broomstick flying 
straight for the window, and in another moment she 
was in the room. She seemed to be much older 
than the witch who had caught them and not so 
unpleasant-looking. She climbed off her broom- 
stick and rubbed her eyes. 

“Hoity toity!” she exclaimed, looking at the 
gloomy string on the clothes line, “what does this 
mean?” 

And immediately everybody on the clothes line 

78 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


began to tell her as fast as they could, which was 
rather confusing. 

“Stop!” she commanded. Then she turned to 
Tod. “You don’t seem as excited as the rest. 
You tell me.” 

And by the time Tod had gotten through with his 
story the witch was almost as excited as any one. 

“Of all the outrageous things I ever heard,” she 
said, “this is the worst.” 

Then she went downstairs and brought up the 
other witch and made her apologize to everybody 
on the clothes line. And after that she snapped 
her fingers and set Tod, and his aunt, and his cous- 
ins and the Philanthropist free in a jiffy. 

“This person,” she said, pointing to the witch 
who had captured them, “is merely a learner — an 
amateur, in the art of witchcraft. Wishing to help 
her in her studies I allowed her to use my cottage 
while I was away, and this is what she does. She is 
a disgrace to the profession and I shall have her ex- 
pelled from the Society of Witches, you may be 


sure. 


79 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Then she told Tod, and his aunt and his cousins, 
and the old gentleman that no experienced witch 
would have done such a thing. “There was a 
time,” she added, “when we might have, but nowa- 
days no one can fly in the face of public opinion. 
No, sir-ee, the public must be considered in every 
way, and we never think of harming any one un- 
less he thoroughly deserves it. Which of course 
you do not, do you^?” 

“NO!” shouted Tod, and his aunt and his cous- 
ins and the Philanthropist, as loud as they could. 

Then the older witch offered to send them all 
home on her broomstick, but they said they pre- 
ferred to walk^ but they must have been mistaken 
in that, for as soon as they got outside the cottage 
they all started to run as fast as they could ; the old 
gentleman in one direction, and Tod, and his aunt 
and his cousins in another. 

And what became of the Philanthropist, Tod or 
his aunt or his cousins never knew. And what be- 
came of Tod and his relatives the Philanthropist 
8o 


THE AMATEUR WITCH 


never knew, but there is no doubt that all of them 
reached their homes safely. 

As for the amateur witch she got just what she 
deserved and had a terrible time making a living 
and before she got through making it, probably 
found out to her sorrow that she was not half as 
smart as she thought she was. 


8i 


THE BOUNCING BOY 


Once there was a boy named Nim who was the 
most unusual little chap you could imagine, for he 
was what is known as a bouncing boy. Now most 
people when they speak of a bouncing boy mean a 
boy who is healthy and full of energy, but in the 
case of Nim it meant more than that. Yes indeed, 
it meant that he really was a bouncer and could 
bounce just as though he was made of india-rubber. 

Of course, every boy’s father and mother wish 
him to be a bouncing boy in a way, but too much 
bounce is as bad as no bounce at all, and the trouble 
with Nim was, he had too much bounce; in fact, 
he was all bounce. When he was a year old, if 
you dropped him it did not hurt him at all ; all he 
did was to bounce. And if you dropped him hard 
enough, he would bounce clear up to the ceiling. 

Well, of course, until Nim was able to walk and 
understand what people said, he did not know he 
82 


THE BOUNCING BOY 


was a bouncer, and even then he only found it out 
gradually, for his parents were very careful to 
keep it secret, as they felt it was a sort of disgrace. 
But Nim did not mind it at all, and by the time he 
was seven he bounced himself whenever he got the 
chance, and as a consequence was the envy of every 
boy in the neighborhood, for just think of a boy 
who could jump off his doorstep and the minute 
he touched the sidewalk, bounce ten feet in the air. 
And, of course, when Nim saw how the other boys 
admired him he tried to show off more than ever, 
until at last his father told him it must stop. 

“The first thing you know,” said Nim's father, 
“you’ll hurt yourself, or bounce out of sight, or 
something. And if you don’t behave yourself I 
shall simply keep you indoors.” 

But, nevertheless, although Nim did try to be- 
have himself, and mind his parents, the bounce in 
him was too strong to be resisted, and as the weeks 
passed he became more and more reckless. 

One day he jumped from the top of the school 
porch and it made him bounce almost thirty feet 

83 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


and did not hurt him at all. And when he found 
that high jumps did not hurt him, he became still 
more reckless, and finally one day he climbed to 
the roof of his father’s barn and waving his cap to 
the crowd of boys below, gave a yell and jumped. 
And then maybe he did not bounce ! Bing — he hit 
the ground, his heels dug into the grass, and then, 
bing — he shot up into the air about two miles. 

Now it is one thing to bounce thirty feet and 
quite another to bounce two miles, for when you 
bounce thirty feet you generally come down where 
you started from, but when you bounce two miles 
you are liable to come down anywhere. And that 
is just what happened to Nim. He came down in 
a place he had never seen before. At first he could 
not tell what kind of a place it was, for when he 
landed he bounced up again about a mile. Then 
he fell back and bounced half a mile; then a quar- 
ter of a mile; then a thousand feet, then a hun- 
dred feet, until at last, bouncing less each time, 
he did not bounce at all, and finally had a chance 
to look around him. And when he did look about 
84 



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THE BOUNCING BOY 


he found he was surrounded by a whole lot of chil- 
dren, boys and girls of all sizes, dozens and dozens 
of them. 

‘‘Hello,” he said. 

“Hello,” responded the children. “Do it 
again.” 

“Do what again?” asked Nim. 

“Why, bounce yourself,” said a fat little boy 
with a front tooth missing. 

“No,” said Nim, “Fve bounced quite enough for 
the present.” 

“Boo hoo!” bawled the fat little boy, “I want 
you to bounce.” 

“Boo hoo!” bawled all the rest of the children, 
“we want you to bounce, too.” 

And my, what a noise they made all crying at 
once. They crowded around Nim and pulled at 
him and pushed him, and he was beginning to think 
he would have to bounce again even though he 
did not want to, when suddenly a queer looking 
old lady pushed her way through the throng and 
confronted him. 


85 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Well, well,” she cried, “what have you done to 
’em now, eh?” 

“I haven’t done anything,” said Nim. 

“He has, too,” shouted the fat little boy. “He 
won’t bounce himself. Do make him bounce him- 
self.” 

''Can you bounce yourself?” asked the old lady, 
who was as fat an old lady as the fat little boy was a 
fat little boy. 

“Yes,” said Nim, “but I — ” 

“Then do it,” snapped the old lady. “Isn’t it 
bad enough to live in a shoe and have so many chil- 
dren you don’t know what to do, without having 
them cry all at once? Bounce yourself right off.” 

So Nim gave a jump in the air and then let him- 
self come down and bounce, and my, how the chil- 
dren laughed and clapped their hands. But when 
he tried to stop they all began to cry again, and so 
he kept on bouncing until he was pretty nearly 
ready to drop. 

“See here,” he said to the old lady, as he paused 
to get his breath, “I’m willing to amuse your chil- 
86 



Nim gave a jump in the air 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


dren for a while but Fm not going to do it all the 
time whether they cry or not.” And with that he 
sat down on a grassy knoll and fanned himself 
with his cap. 

“That’s all right,” said the old lady, “I don’t 
want you to do it all the time, because someXArat?> 
they have to eat their meals and someximt^ they 
have to go to bed, but at other times if bouncing 
will keep them quiet, I think the least you can do is 
to bounce, don’t youT’ 

“No,” said Nim, “I don’t.” 

“You don’t,” said the old lady, “then what did 
you come here for. I’d like to know.” 

Whereupon Nim told her how he had jumped off 
his father’s barn and bounced two miles in the air. 
“I suppose,” he added, “that is the reason I came 
down in the wrong place.” 

“The wrong place,” echoed the old lady. 
“That’s a nice way to talk. This isn’t the wrong 
place, it’s the right place or I wouldn’t live here 
with all of my children.” 

“Well,” said Nim, “maybe it is, but it isn’t the 

88 




THE BOUNCING BOY 


sort of a place Tve been used to. People don't live 
in shoes where I live; they live in houses." 

“Indeed,” snapped the old lady, “well, let me 
tell you I wouldn't live in a house for anything. 
I believe in doing my duty, I do. Suppose little 
Jack Horner had sat in a corner eating his Christ- 
mas pie and put in his thumb and pulled out a 
cherry instead of a plum, wouldn't it have ruined 
the nursery poem?” 

“Y — es,” said Nim, “I suppose it would.” 

“Well,” continued the old lady, “if I lived in a 
house instead of a shoe with so many children I 
didn't know what to do, wouldn't that have ruined 
another nursery poem?” 

“But — but,” responded Nim, “you're not that 
old lady, are you? I thought you just happened 
to live in a shoe. I never thought you were the 
shoe lady in the nursery rhyme.” 

“Well, I am,” replied the other, “and you 
needn't call it a rhyme, either. It's a poem if ever 
there was one. Perhaps you never heard it prop- 
erly rendered. Listen.” 

89 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Throwing back her shoulders and taking a 
dramatic pose, she began : 

There was an old lady who lived in a shoe, 

And the children she had gave her plenty to do, 

For oh, there were dozens, both fat ones and thin. 

And a shoe is quite awkward to pack children in. 

And every one vowed it was useless to try 
But the old lady said she would do it or die ; 

So into the shoe she jammed ’em in time 
And gave to the world a fine nursery rhyme. 

“There,’’ said the old lady, when she had fin- 
ished, “that’s the way it ought to be. Do you 
like itr 

“Very much,” replied Nim, “but I thought you 
said it wasn’t a rhyme and yet the last line of the 
poem says: ‘gave to the world a fine nursery 
rhyme.’ ” 

\ “Well, I’ll tell you,” said the old lady, “I think 
the way that happened was because the poet had to 
have a rhyme for time. Anyway it’s a poem no 
matter how it rhymes. And now you can start in 
and bounce for the children again.” 

“No,” said Nim, “I’m not going to do it. I’ve 
90 


THE BOUNCING BOY 


bounced for them a lot and Fm not going to do it 
any more.” 

‘‘Very well,” said the old lady, “then Fll re- 
port you to the King.” 

“You can report me to anybody you wish,” said 
Nim, “but I will not bounce another bounce.” 

“Just as you say,” responded the old lady. 

Then she took Nim by the hand and led the way 
through a strip of woodland with all the children 
following her until she came to an enormous shoe 
that looked like new and which was roofed over 
like a cottage and surrounded by a garden. 

“Good gracious,” gasped Nim, “whoever wears 
a shoe like that^?” 

“That,” said the old lady, proudly, “used to be- 
long to the King.” 

“The King,” echoed Nim. “Phew! He must 
be a giant.” 

“Not at all,” responded the old lady. 

“But — but — ” stammered Nim, “what does he 
wear shoes like that for?” 

“He doesn't wear 'em,” said the old lady, “or at 

91 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


least he hasn’t yet. He only has his shoes made 
that way because he has very tender feet and wants 
to be sure they won’t be too tight if he goes out 
walking. But as he never does go out walking the 
only thing he ever wears on his feet are his carpet 
slippers, so when I need a new shoe he lets me have 
one of his. And now you wait a moment while 
I put the children to bed.” 

With that she opened a door in the heel of the 
shoe and went inside, only to appear the next mo- 
ment with several buckets of porridge and a huge 
spoon. And the minute the children saw her do 
that they formed a long line and as each one passed 
into the shoe she gave the child a spoonful of the 
gruel, and then licking the spoon, tossed it into one 
of the buckets, locked the door, and, snatching a 
clean apron and a fresh sunbonnet from a line 
near by, she took Nim by the hand once more and 
set off for the royal palace. 

“You’re awfully foolish,” she said, “to put me 
to all this trouble, for even if you won’t bounce for 
me, you’ll have to bounce for the King, you know.” 
92 


THE BOUNCING BOY 


“Fm not going to bounce for anybody,” said 
Nim. 

“But,” cried the old lady, “if you don’t bounce 
for the King how will he know you can bounce*?” 

“I don’t care whether he knows it or not,” said 
the boy. 

“Well, I do,” snapped the old lady, “because if 
you don’t bounce how can I report you for not 
bouncing? The King will not believe you’re a 
bouncer until you do it. See?” 

“He can believe it or not,” said Nim, “just as 
he likes. I am not going to bounce, I tell you.” 

But he did bounce, just the same, yes sir-ee. 
For after they reached the palace and the old lady 
had told the King all about Nim, the monarch did 
not ask him to bounce at all. He just commanded 
two of his soldiers to lift the boy high in the air and 
let him drop, and of course, when Nim dropped he 
bounced despite himself. And when he did that 
the King came down from his throne with a very 
eager look on his face. 

“What makes you bounce?” he asked. 

93 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“I don’t know,” replied Nim. 

“Fine!” shouted the King. “Another mystery 
to solve.” 

Then he .told Nim that the one passion of his life 
was to find out the mysterious something that made 
people and things do what they did. “There isn’t 
a mystery in my kingdom that I haven’t solved,” he 
went on, “and I was just longing for a new one, 
and here you are. Welcome, my dear sir, wel- 
come!” 

“Then I don’t have to bounce for the shoe lady 
any longer?” asked Nim. 

“I should say not^^ replied the monarch. “You 
are now a member of the royal household — a de- 
lightfully mysterious one — to be studied over by 
myself and finally solved, I hope.” Then he 
waved his hand to the old lady and commanded 
her to go away. 

“Oh, please, your majesty,” replied the old lady, 
“do let me stick around and see the fun.” 

“Well,” said the King. “I don’t mind, if you 
really want to do it.” 


94 


THE BOUNCING BOY 


‘‘What does she mean — see the fun?” asked 
Nim, turning to the monarch. 

“Oh, she just wants to wait about until the time 
comes to open you.” 

''Open me?” exclaimed Nim, in an alarmed 
tone. “Why — why I never heard of such a thing. 
Why — why I can’t be opened.” 

“Oh yes, you can,” replied the King, pleasantly. 
“You may not think so, but I can open you very 
nicely. You have no idea how many things I’ve 
opened during my reign. Now take a clock, for 
instance. I used to wonder what made a clock 
tick, but after I opened several I soon found out, 
you may be sure. And while there is only one of 
you to open, I think I will certainly find out what 
makes you bounce, yes indeed.” 

Well, you can imagine when Nim heard that he 
wished he had continued bouncing for the old 
lady’s children, because now he was in a worse fix 
than ever. 

“I think,” he said, turning to the old lady, ‘‘that 
I’ll go back and assist you with the children. You 

95 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


do have a hard time amusing them and I ought 
to help you if I can.” 

“Maybe she does,” said the King, “but I have a 
hard time amusing myself also, and I think you 
ought to help mey 

“No,” said Nim, firmly, “the children need me 
more than you.” 

“They do not^^ bawled the monarch, angrily. 
“And besides, what is the use of being a mystery if 
you are not to be solved. The idea of wasting 
your time on children.” 

“But,” insisted Nim, desperately, “I love chil- 
dren.” 

“And I love mysteries,” retorted the King, “and 
Fm going to open you and find out what makes you 
bounce if it costs me my throne.” 

And with that he shouted for his servants to 
bring in the royal tool chest, and when they did so 
he began to select some very unpleasant looking 
things from it. 

“If you had looked at the matter from a scientific 
point of view as I do,” he said, trying the edge of 
96 


THE BOUNCING BOY 


a chisel carefully, “I should not have attempted to 
solve your mystery until to-morrow or the next day, 
but as it is, the less time lost the better. Kindly 
step this way, if you please.” 

Now Nim was as brave as most boys are, but 
when a person says he is going to open you and 
brings out a carpenters’ chest of tools to do it with, 
there is no use to try to keep from being scared, be- 
cause you cannot do it. Therefore, when the King 
said to step this way, it is not surprising that Nim 
stepped the other way, and just as quick as he 
could. In fact, he did not step^ he jumped^ he 
leaped^ and ran out of the room as fast as he could 
and up the royal staircase to the top of the palace, 
with the King, and the old lady, and the King’s 
soldiers after him. 

Up, up, they went, two and three steps at a time, 
Nim running as he had never run before, and the 
monarch, and the old lady, and the guards, shout- 
ing, and puffing and panting after him, until at 
last the palace roof was reached. And then Nim 
felt he was safe, for just as his pursuers rushed to 
97 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


seize him, he leaped from the edge of the roof to 
the garden below. 

Whiz, down, down he went! Bing, he hit the 
ground, and then, bing — up he bounced, up, up, 
almost three miles into the air. And after that you 
can guess what happened, for as already told you, 
when you bounce thirty feet in the air you are liable 
to come down where you started from, but when 
you bounce miles you are liable to come down any- 
where. 

And so it was that when Nim did come down he 
came down right in front of his father’s house, and 
after bouncing and bouncing, less and less each 
time, finally stopped bouncing altogether, and 
walked indoors and greeted his folks just as they 
were sitting down to dinner. 

"'W ell^' said his father, ‘‘so you came back at 
last^ did you? I thought this time you never 
would.” 

“I thought so, too,” said Nim, with a shudder. 
“It was dreadful.” 


98 


THE BOUNCING BOY 


“Then/’ said his mother, “perhaps you’ll be 
more careful in the future.” 

“I certainly shall,” said Nim. “In fact. I’ll 
never, never bounce again.” 

And he never did. No matter how much his 
friends tried to coax him to, he never did. For 
you know, even though his father and mother, and 
his friends do not, what an awful fix his bouncing 
almost got him into. 


99 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


Once there was a boy named Vym who moved 
with his parents from a distant town to the quaint 
old city of Pudge. Now of course the first thing 
that Vym did after his parents got settled in Pudge 
was to look around for some other boys to play with, 
but while he found a number of little girls, scarcely 
a boy was to be seen, and the few that he did come 
across could not be coaxed out of doors. 

“I wonder why it is,” said Vym to his father and 
mother. 

They said they did not know but would ask the 
neighbors, and when they did ask the neighbors 
they received the astonishing information that it 
was not safe for boys to play outdoors in Pudge on 
account of Zylograb, the Unappeasable Boy 
Catcher, who had his residence there. 

“Of course,” said the neighbors to Vym's father 


100 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


and mother, “if you can trust your boy to play right 
in front of your home and not go snooping around 
where Zylograb lives, it will be all right, but our 
experience is that boys will be boys and will snoop 
no matter what you tell them.” 

Well, of course the moment Vym heard about 
the Unappeasable Boy Catcher, he was most anx- 
ious to get a look at the gentleman, but at the same 
time he did not want to be caught by him. How- 
ever, his father and mother did not think it was 
necessary that he see Zylograb at all and insisted 
that he stay in the house, or at least not go fur- 
ther than the front step. But after Vym had done 
this for about two weeks, he became so restless he 
just felt that he must go out and wander about a 
bit, even though Zylograb did catch him. 

So one afternoon while his father was at busi- 
ness and his mother downtown shopping, he put 
on his cap and went to the front door determined 
to take a little walk anyway, and go past the Un- 
appeasable Boy Catcher’s house very quick just to 
see what it looked like. But as he started down 


101 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


the steps he remembered he did not know in which 
direction the house was. 

‘Tshaw!” he said to himself, “isn’t that too bad. 
Well, anyway I’ll walk up to the corner of the 
street and stretch my legs.” 

When he got to the corner he did what most 
everybody does at corners, he looked around it, and 
there a short distance off he saw what seemed to 
be a castle surrounded by beautiful gardens. And 
of course the minute he saw that he wanted to see 
more of it, and presently found himself standing in 
front of what he thought must certainly be the 
king’s palace, for through the golden, glittering 
fence he could see the most wonderful flowers and 
fruit trees, to say nothing of sparkling fountains, 
and such things. 

“Gee whiz!” exclaimed Vym, “it must be fine in 
there.” 

And then seeing that the gate was wide open 
with the sign “welcome” over it, he walked inside 
and along the beautiful marble pavement that led 
to the palace. And before he had gone a hun- 


}02 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


dred feet, clash, the gate swung shut behind him. 
Vym, very much startled, turned just in time to see 
an old man, all bent over, fastening the gate with 
a huge padlock. 

“What are you doing that for?” he asked, as the 
old man hobbled toward him. 

“Oh,” said the other, “I’m just completing the 
welcome.” With that he swept off his cap and 
made Vym a low bow. “If I left the gate open 
you might think we did not want you to stay.” 

“All the same,” said Vym, “I wish you would 
open it so I can get out quick if the king comes. I 
didn’t intend to stay.” 

“What nonsense,” said the old man, “the king 
never comes here. This is an enchanted palace; 
now you see it and now you don’t.” 

“What do you mean?” asked Vym. 

“Well,” continued the old man, “it’s this way. 
If your folks got word about you and tried to find 
out where you were, they couldn’t, because no mat- 
ter how much they looked they couldn’t see this 
place. And yet, if you weren’t inside, they could. 
103 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


That’s what I mean by, now you see it and now you 
don’t.” 

“But — but — stammered the boy, “where am 
I? This isn’t — this isn’t — don’t tell me this is the 
house of Zylograb, the Boy Catcher.” 

“All right, I won’t,” said the old man. “I al- 
ways try to oblige people. But if you don’t want 
to know what the place is, I don’t suppose you’d 
mind knowing who I am.” 

“Oh, no,” said Vym. 

“Well, I’m Bunk, the gardener, and I’m very, 
very, very, very sorry for you.” Holding his 
handkerchief to his eyes he wept and wept. 

“Good gracious!” exclaimed Vym, “I must be in 
an awful fix for you to do that, and this must be 
the house of the Unappeasable Boy Catcher.” 

“Boo hoo! Boo hoo!” sobbed the gardener, 
“oh, boo hoo! I’m so sorry for you because it is, 
and you being a boy he’ll certainly insist upon add- 
ing you to his collection.” 

“To his collection,” repeated Vym. “I don’t 
understand.” 

104 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


“Well/’ said Bunk, “Zylograb has a fancy for 
collecting boys, just like boys often have a fancy 
for collecting stamps and such things. He has 
immense sheets of sticky enchanted paper, and 
when he gets hold of a boy he sticks him on a sheet 
and labels him. Then after a bit he may trade him 
off to another collector of boys, if there are any 
more.” 

“Oh,” gasped Vym, “isn’t — isn’t that dread- 
ful?’ 

“I suppose it is,” said the gardener, wiping the 
tears off the end of his nose, “but it’s very scientific 
too, so they say.” 

Then he told Vym that Zylograb was away just 
at that time, but that his grandmother, an ex- 
tremely nice aged ogress was in the castle. 
“Now,” he continued, “suppose we do this. Let’s 
go to the castle and see Zylograb’s grandmother, 
and I’ll tell her that hearing about the collection of 
boys, you have come to look it over, thinking maybe 
you might like to join. Then we will see what 
happens after that.” 


105 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“But,” said Vym, “I don’t want to join and I 
don’t like ogresses.” 

“Perhaps not,” said Bunk, “but really, she is 
worth seeing anyhow. She has a head as big as a 
barrel and teeth like a saw, and she takes a fright- 
ful interest in the boys when Zylograb is not there 
to do it himself.” 

“Oh, she does, does she?” said Vym, nervousiy. 

“Yes,” replied the old man, “she seems to be 
fond of boys and can’t understand why they are 
not fond of her.” 

“Huh!” said Vym. “I never could be fond of 
any person like that.” 

“Maybe you could,” said Bunk, “after you came 
to know her.” 

“No,” said Vym, “it would not make any differ- 
ence how much I knew her.” 

Then he jumped to his feet, from the rustic 
bench where he had been sitting with the old man, 
and ran to the gate and shook and pounded upon 
it. “Help! Help!” he yelled. 

“Ssh ! Don’t make so much noise,” said Bunk. 
106 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


'It’s very dangerous to create a disturbance on en- 
chanted ground. You are liable to be turned into 
almost anything. And besides, here comes Zylo- 
grab’s grandmother anyhow, so you might as well 
make the best of things.” 

Sure enough the aged ogress was hurrying down 
the castle steps and beckoning to them with a bony 
forefinger. 

“I guess we had better go to her,” said the old 
man. “It will only make her mad if we don’t.” 

And Vym, when he saw that if he did not go to 
the ogress, the ogress would come to him, turned 
away from the gate and presently found himself 
sitting in the castle parlor. 

"This boy,” said Bunk, to Zylograb’s grand- 
mother, “is named Vym. Hearing that Zylograb 
had such a large and interesting collection of boys 
he thought he would like to join it, provided the 
collection was as interesting as he had heard it 
was. 

“Dear me,” said the ogress, turning to Vym, 
“now isn’t that too delightful for anything. 
107 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Most of the boys in the collection had to be taken 
unawares and brought here. None of them were 
so thoughtful as to come before they were caught.” 
Then she gave Vym a pat on the head that made 
his teeth ratle. “My, my, but my grandson will be 
touched — deeply touched — when he hears what 
you have done. And as for myself I can hardly 
express my feelings, but I’ll do my best, so listen: 

For years and years, and still more years, 

I’ve pasted boys dissolved in tears 
Upon the sticky paper where 
We keep them, with the utmost care. 

I’ve pasted boys who kicked like mad — 

I’ve pasted good boys — ^pasted bad. 

I’ve pasted some so stiff with fright 
’Twas hard to make them stick on tight. 

In fact. I’ve pasted every kind 
Of every sort of boy you’ll find 
Except the sort you seem to be. 

And you’re the sort of boy for me — 

The one who asks with cheerful face 
That I should paste him in his place. 

“But,” said Vym, when she had finished, “I’m 
not asking you to paste me — ” 

108 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


“That’s all right,” responded the ogress, smiling 
and showing at least eighty-five of her saw-like 
teeth, “I understand.” 

Then she took Vym and Bunk into a tremen- 
dously large room and showed them what a really 
fine collection of boys Zylograb had. And maybe 
Vym did not stare when he saw it. And maybe 
the boys did not stare when they saw Vym. 

The boys with red hair were all pasted together 
on one big sheet of paper. The boys with freckles 
were all on another, and the boys with turned up 
noses on another. The fat boys were on one sheet 
and the thin boys on another, and so on, so that 
you could see the different varieties of boys with- 
out straining your eyes. It was a most interesting 
sight and Vym almost forgot he was a boy himself 
until the ogress pointed out the sheet of paper 
where he would be pasted when the Unappeasable 
Boy Catcher came home. 

“But,” said Vym, “I haven’t decided to join the 
collection yet, you know.” 

The ogress smiled and winked one eye at Bunk. 
109 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Then she turned and winked the other eye at all 
the boys on the sticky paper. 

“What are you doing that for*?” inquired Vym. 

“Doing what?” asked the ogress, grinning more 
than ever. 

“Why, winking and smiling.” 

“My goodness, can’t a person wink or smile?” 

“Yes,” put in the gardener, “can’t a person have 
a little private joke?” 

Vym looked at the old man angrily. “What do 
you mean by a private joke? Are you on my side 
or not ? A little while ago you were crying because 
you were sorry for me.” 

“Hee! Hee!” cackled the ogress, ''that is the 
private joke. You thought he was on your side, 
but he isn’t. And as to going home again, you’re 
not going. Y ou’re going to stay here.” 

“What — what — what’s that?” stammered Vym. 
He turned to the gardener. “I believe you are 
nothing more or less than a villain.” 

Nodding his head. Bunk chuckled. “Quite so,” 
he replied. 


110 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


“Oh,” cried the boy, “if there is any one meaner 
than you are, I have never seen them.” 

“Tut, tut!” responded the gardener. “You 
mustn’t say that. If I was what you think I am I 
would be very mean, but as I am not what I am. Pm 
only looking after Number One.” 

“Which is to say,” put in the ogress, “that Zylo- 
grab has come home, and that we have got you, 
and that you have got to take your place on the 
sticky paper with the rest of the boys.” 

Whereupon she walked over to the door, 
slammed it shut, put her back against it and then 
shouted: “Let her go!” And with that Bunk 
took a bottle of pills from his pocket and swallowed 
one. And the minute he did so his body stretched 
all over so that his coat split up the back, and zip — 
there he stood, not Bunk, the gardener, but Zylo- 
grab, the Unappeasable Boy Catcher, ten feet tall, 
three feet thick and five feet wide; and with a head 
that was as big as two barrels. If the ogress, his 
grandmother, was ugly, he was even worse, so the 
less that is said about his looks the better 


111 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Now,” said Zylograb to the boy, “you can see 
where the joke comes in. I don’t know when my 
grandmother and myself have had such a good 
laugh. Just come this way, please, until I measure 
you for your place on the sticky paper.” 

Well, of course Vym simply hated to be meas- 
ured for the sticky paper, but what could be do? 
There he was shut up in the room with the ogress 
at the door and no one to help him, and it looked 
as though he was doneTor. Yes sir-ee, it looked 
very much that way, and perhaps it would have 
been that way if Zylograb had not chanced to have 
a hole in his coat pocket so that as he walked ahead 
of Vym between the rows and rows of boys, the 
bottle of pills slipped out and fell to the floor. 
Zylograb did not notice it, so Vym picked up the 
bottle, and as he walked along gloomily to be meas- 
ured he read the label which said: “To be your- 
self — take one.” 

Then like a flash a bright idea came to Vym. 
Quickly he uncorked the bottle and pouring out a 
handful of the pills handed one to each boy as he 


112 



The bottle of pills slipped out and fell to the floor 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


passed along. “Eat it, quick,” he whispered. 
And as each boy had nothing else to do, and be- 
sides as all boys love to eat, every boy that received 
a pill swallowed it at once, and the effect was sim- 
ply marvelous. 

Before Vym and Zylograb had gotten half way 
to the measuring table dozens of boys had gotten 
loose from the sticky paper and were themselves 
again. And when Vym saw that, he ran up and 
down the room giving out the pills to the rest of 
the boys as fast as he could, so that presently there 
was a small army of them, big and little, fat and 
thin, tearing around the room leaping and jump- 
ing with joy because they were free again. 

“Catch ’em! Catch ’em!” bawled Zylograb to 
his grandmother, the ogress, snatching right and 
left at the boys. 

“Catch ’em yourself,” snapped the ogress, who 
was trying to keep the boys from pushing her away 
from the door, “and catch ’em quick or they’ll be 
catching us.” 

And that is just what happened. The more 
114 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


Zylograb and his grandmother tried to catch the 
boys the more boys there were to catch, for in a 
few minutes Vym had freed every boy in the room, 
and as there were hundreds of them you can see 
Zylograb and the ogress had quite a job on their 
hands. Indeed they had too much of a job, for 
Vym put himself at the head of the boy army and 
charged the Unappeasable Boy Catcher and his 
grandmother with a yell. 

“Don’t be afraid,” he shouted. “We’re too 
many for them. We’ll take them prisoners and 
the castle will be ours.” 

“Just you wait,” bawled Zylograb, shaking his 
fist at Vym, “just you wait until I get hold of you.” 

“Bah !” replied Vym. “You’re not going to get 
hold of me. We’re going to get hold of you.” 

And with that every boy in the room started for 
Zylograb at once, and in a moment they had piled 
on top of him and tied his arms and legs fast. 
Then they pushed the ogress into a corner and 
frightened her so she promi-sed to show them the 
way out of the castle. 

115 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


And so it was that fifteen minutes later a stream 
of boys poured out of the castle door dragging 
Zylograb and his grandmother and tied them to a 
large tree on the lawn. After which they went 
back into the castle and brought out all the gold 
and silver and jewels the Unappeasable Boy 
Catcher had saved up and piled the treasure on the 
grass. And having done that they set fire to the 
castle and burnt it to the ground. 

Then Vym turned to where Zylograb and his 
grandmother were tied. He was wondering what 
to do with them, but goodness, he need not have 
wondered, for the ogress and the Boy Catcher had 
each become part of the tree themselves. You see, 
if you tie an ogre or an ogress to a tree they are 
done for. That is why so many trees have such 
queer bumps and lumps on their trunks; Vym did 
not know that and perhaps you do not, but if you 
want to make sure it is so, just catch an ogre and 
tie him to a tree and you will find out. 

Well, of course after Zylograb and his wicked 
grandmother were disposed of there was nothing 
116 


THE UNAPPEASABLE BOY CATCHER 


else to do but to divide up the gold and silver and 
jewels, and as soon as that had been attended to 
each boy took his share and went off home rejoicing. 
Some lived in Pudge and some lived in other cities, 
but enough of them lived in Pudge to tell every- 
body of the wonderful way in which Vym had set 
them free and done away with Zylograb, so that 
boys in future could play in the streets of Pudge 
all they wanted to. 

And to say that Vym has plenty of boys to play 
with is putting it mildly. He has more than he can 
play with, for every boy of every kind in Pudge is 
only too glad to play with Vym, who put an end 
to the infamous career of the Unappeasable Boy 
Catcher. 


117 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


Have you ever seen a Million Jointed Hopoff? 
If not, then perhaps it is time that you learned just 
what he is like, so that if ever you do see him you 
will know what you are running from. 

A Million Jointed Hopoff is a very large and 
pliable creature inhabiting islands that have plenty 
of room and precipices. He likes the room because 
he is so large, and he likes the precipices so he can 
hop off them. He also likes plenty of sandy beach 
so he can sit on the hard sand and write words on 
it with the sharp end of his tail when the tide is low. 

There is something even more surprising about 
this creature, for wherever he is, there is also a pi- 
rate’s buried treasure. Yes, sir-ee, after a pirate’s 
treasure has been buried for a number of years and 
been undiscovered, a Million Jointed Hopoff ap- 
pears in the neighborhiood and begins to make 
memos in the sand with the end of his tail, and as 
soon as he has made a memo he lets the tide wash it 
out to sea. 


118 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


The reason he writes in the sand and lets the tide 
wash the writing away is because he is trying to 
coax somebody to come to the island and dig for 
the pirate’s treasure which is always buried right 
at the foot of one of the precipices. Then while 
they are digging he wraps himself all about him- 
self, which he can easily do because he has a million 
joints, and hops off the precipice on top of them. 
And as he is about a mile long as the crow flies and 
makes quite a large bundle when he is wrapped 
about himself, you can easily see when he hops on 
a person from the top of a precipice, he knocks them 
into smithereens, which tickles him very much. 

Well, one hot, blistering, sunny, tropical day, 
the Million Jointed Hopoff which this story is 
about sat on the beach of an uncharted island scrib- 
bling in the sand as hard as he could, and this is 
what he wrote : 

“Dear Public — 

“Why fret and worry and work for a living when 
all you have to do is to repeat the word loot 
119 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


seventy times to be transported to an island that 
contains a pirate’s hidden treasure. Come one, 
come all, and dig for it ! 

‘‘Yours respectfully, 

“The Million Jointed Hopoff. 

“P.S. — I will meet you on the beach.” 

“My goodness,” he grumbled, “here Fve been 
writing notes for a week, and so far no one has 
come.” 

And then while he was still grumbling, away up 
the beach two small figures appeared, and the Mil- 
lion Jointed Hopoff stopped writing and hastened 
to meet them. 

“Hello,” he said, looking at the two boys who 
stood before him, “who are you and where did you 
come from?” 

Whereupon the boys told him that their names 
were Nip and Tuk and that they had come from 
their home in Rusk, an ancient Oriental seaport. 

“We found your note washed up on the beach,” 
they said, “and not having anything else to do we 


120 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


thought we would come and get the pirate’s treas- 
ure, so we repeated the word loot seventy times, 
and here we are.” 

“Hum,” said the Million Jointed HojDoff, “why 
didn’t you bring some other folks with you? I like 
a crowd, it makes a much bigger squash when they 
are hopped on.” 

“When they are hopped on?” repeated Nip. 
“What do you mean?” 

“Oh, nothing,” said the Million Jointed Hopoff, 
“I was just thinking aloud. Ahem! Are you 
brothers, or what?”. 

“We’re chums,” said Nip and Tuk. “We go 
everywhere together and we take each other’s part. 
If anybody hurts one of us he’s got to hurt both 
of us.” 

“Quite so,” said the Million Jointed Hopoff, “I 
understand, you both wish to be squashed. Come 
this way, please.” 

Then he led them to the foot of a towering cliff 
and showed them a pile of sand with several spades 
sticking in it. “Go ahead and dig,” he said, “the 
121 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


treasure is right underneath that pile of sand and it 
is well worth digging for, I can tell you.” 

Then having started them to work he hurried 
away to the top of the precipice so that he might 
wrap himself about himself and be ready to hop 
on them. 

Now if it had not been for one thing this story 
would end right here, because the Million Jointed 
Hopoff would have hopped on the boys and 
squashed them, but the one thing that kept him 
from doing it was that both Nip and Tuk had been 
born lucky instead of being born rich, and so just 
as the Million Jointed Hopoff started to hop on 
them, they suddenly decided to stop digging for a 
while and go to the beach and take a swim. And, 
therefore, instead of hopping on them the Million 
Jointed Hopoff hopped right into the hole they had 
dug and got his eyes so full of sand it blinded him 
and made him roar awfully. 

And Nip and Tuk when they saw him hop into 
the hole and heard him roar, knew right away he 
had intended to hop on them, so before he could 


122 



THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


get the sand out of his eyes they took to their heels 
and ran off as fast as they could. 

“Phew !” said Nip, as he paused to get his breath, 
“whatever shall we do? We ought not to stay on 
this island while that Million Jointed Hopoff is 
here.’’ 

“No,” said Tuk, “it isn’t safe.” 

So off they trudged to the interior of the island 
so as to be as far from the Million Jointed Hopoff 
as possible, and after climbing up and scrambling 
down, and scratching themselves on bushes, and 
stumbling over stones, they came to a smooth, 
grassy place and there, sitting on a big, round rock, 
was a black bearded man with fuzzy eyebrows and 
a bright red handkerchief tied about his head. 
Over one eye he wore a green patch, on his feet 
were high boots, and in his belt were pistols, and 
knives and cutlasses. In fact, he looked very, very 
dangerous and fierce, but from the way he groaned 
and from the way he leaned forward and dropped 
his head in his hands after glancing at them a mo- 
ment, he felt very, very sad, 

124 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


“Excuse me/' said Nip. 

“What do you want/' said the stranger, “can't 
you see how wbrried I am?" 

Whereupon Nip and Tuk told him how they had 
come to the island after finding the memo of the 
Million Jointed Hopoff, and how the Million 
Jointed Hopoff had come so near hopping on them 
while they were digging for the treasure. 

“And please," continued Nip, “we want to ask 
you how to get back home even if we can't take the 
treasure with us." 

“Take the treasure with you !" shouted the stran- 
ger, “I should say not. That treasure belongs to 
me. I’m Slash, the pirate, and I buried that treas- 
ure thirteen years ago." 

“But," asked Tuk, “why didn't you come back 
after it?" 

“Why?" said the pirate. “You ask me why? 
Just listen." 

Well, just to begin I’ve always been 
A raging pirate chief, sir. 

With a black mustache and the name of Slash 
And a courage past belief, sir. 

125 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


And I’ve always laughed as I sunk a craft 
With a laugh chock full of dread, sir, 
But that was before I stopped ashore 
Just long enough to wed, sir. 


For after that in a four room flat 
I passed most all my days, sir, 

I dared not roam a block from home — 
My wife had funny ways, sir. 

In vain I told her of the gold 
I’d buried on this isle, sir. 

One eye she shut nor answered but 
With cold, derisive smile, sir. 


For thirteen years she boxed my ears 
But having right good health, sir, 

I never balked but talked and talked 
And argued for my wealth, sir; 

Until one day — “Oh, go away,” 

Sez she, “and find your gold, sir!” 

The door went slam — and here I am 
A-doing as I’m told, sir. 

As he spoke the last line he leapt into the air 
and tore at his beard, after which he spun about 
until finally he fell on his face. “No doubt,” he 
said, as he scrambled to his feet, “you are wonder- 
126 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


ing at my lack of excitement now that the treasure 
is almost within my reach/’ 

“Oh,” said Nip and Tuk, “aren’t you excited?” 

“Excited,” exclaimed the pirate, “well, I. should 
say not. Flurried I may be a trifle, but excited — 
well, not yet.” 

Then he told them that the reason he was so 
flurried was because he could not make up his mind 
how to tell the Million Jointed Hopoff that the 
treasure belonged to him. “How would you do 
it?” he asked. 

“Why,” said Nip, “I would just go to the Hop- 
off and say — ‘See here, I am the fellow who buried 
this treasure, so just go off and let me dig it up in 
peace.’ ” 

“Oh, you would, would you?” responded the 
pirate. “Well, suppose you were so bashful you 
did not dare to do it?” 

“Bashful !” repeated Tuk. 

“Yes, bashful,” bawled the pirate, glaring at 
him. “You don’t suppose for a minute that I’m 
afraid, do you?” 


127 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Well/’ said Nip, “it seems sort of strange for 
a pirate to be bashful.” 

“Not half as strange,” responded Slash, “as for 
a pirate to be afraid. At first I did think I was 
afraid, but after pondering the matter I decided it 
must be bashfulness. And now I don’t know what 
to do. How would you like to break the news to 
the Million Jointed Hopoff for me?” 

Nip looked at Tuk and Tuk looked at Nip. 
Then they both shook their heads. “We wouldn’t 
like it,” they said. 

“Humph!” said the pirate. 

Then he tookione of the pistols from his belt and 
squinted down the barrel carefully. “Do you 
mind,” he inquired, “if I blow my brains out?” 

Nip and Tuk jumped. “Oh,” they cried in hor- 
ror, “you wouldn’t do that, would you?” 

“Well,” said the pirate, “I might if I wasn’t so 
awfully bashful, and if you don’t speak to the Mil- 
lion Jointed Hopoff for me. I’ll have to do it 
whether I’m bashful or not.” 

Whereupon Nip and Tuk, not wishing to be the 
128 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


cause of the pirate blowing his brains out, agreed to 
speak to the Hopoff for him, although they did not 
feel like doing it at all, and kept hanging back and 
hanging back when the pirate urged them to start 
at once to where the Million Jointed Hopoff was 
still rubbing the sand out of his eyes. 

‘‘Go on,” he said, “the more you think about it 
the less you’ll want to do it.” 

So finally Nip and Tuk, feeling rather scared 
and with their knees wobbling, went back to the 
beach and got there just as the Hopoff rubbed the 
last grain of sand out of his eyes. Then he winked 
hard and looked around. 

“Ah,” said the Million Jointed Hopoff, scowl- 
ing, “so it’s you, is it*? I suppose you’ve come back 
to begin digging again. Well, you’re not going to 
do it. No one shall dig for the treasure that I 
cannot hop on and I do not dare to try and hop on 
you because just as I do you jump away and I get 
my eyes full of sand. I shall wait until some per- 
son comes along who has had no experience with 
Hopoffs.” 


129 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Dear me,” said Nip, ‘‘we had never seen a Hop- 
off until we saw you.” 

“We never knew there was such a thing,” said 
Tuk. 

“I don’t believe it,” snapped the Million 
Jointed Hopoff. And though the boys did their 
best to convince him that they were speaking the 
truth, he just kept on shaking his head sulkily, so 
finally they told him about Slash, the pirate; how 
he was the one who had buried the treasure but he 
was too bashful to ask the Hopoff for it. “He 
says,” continued Nip, “that he needs the money 
awfully.” 

“And if you don’t let him have it,” put in Tuk, 
“he’ll blow his brains out.” 

“Indeed!” exclaimed the Million J'ointed Hop- 
off. “Blow his brains out, eh?” Then he cracked 
his tail like a whip. “I have an idea. I’ll let him 
dig up his treasure and while he is doing that he 
can let me hop on him. That will save him the 
trouble of blowing out his brains and at the same 
time afford me a little recreation.” 


130 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


So Nip and Tuk went back and told the pirate 
what the Hopoff had said, and although he 
swooned twice from excitement while they were 
telling him, he finally decided to accept the offer. 

“If I go home without that treasure,” he said, 
“my wife will never speak to me again, so Fve 
simply got to have it.” 

“But,” said Nip, “you won't be able to go home 
after you’ve been hopped on, will you?” 

“I should say not,” exclaimed Tuk, “why you’d 
be squashed flat.” 

“Phew!” exclaimed the pirate, “so I would. I 
never thought of that. Mv, what a narrow es- 
cape !” 

Then he told Nip and Tuk that of course the 
only way they could get off the island was to. go on 
his pirate ship which was anchored in a bay near by. 
“But,” he added, ''you can’t go unless I go, and I 
shall not go until I get that treasure; and I do not 
intend to be squashed getting it, either. So you 
had better try to think out some other way.” 

Well, of course it was very easy for Slash to say 

131 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


that, but it was not so very easy for Nip and Tuk 
to do what he said, and it is possible they might 
have stayed on the island and thought the rest of 
their lives, if suddenly the Million Jointed Hopoff 
had not burst through the bushes into their midst. 

“Wow!” yelled the pirate, staggering back- 
wards. 

“Ah ha,” said the Hopoff, looking at Slash in a 
very impertinent way, “so you’re the party who 
buried the treasure, eh*? Well, I’ve been waiting, 
and waiting, and waiting for you to come down to 
the beach. Aren’t you going to dig up your treas- 
ure*?” 

**Dig it up,” repeated the pirate, **so you can hop 
on me while I’m doing it? Not while I have my 
brains in my head.” 

“But,” said the Hopoff, “these boys said you 
didn’t want your brains in your head. They said 
you wanted to blow ’em out.” 

“Maybe so,” replied the pirate, “but I don’t 
want them squashed out.” 

**Pooh!” sniffed the Hopoff, “what’s the differ- 
132 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


enccT' Then he turned to Nip and Tuk with a 
scowl. “See here, I’ll have you know I’m going 
to get something to hop on or I’ll know the reason 
why. And I’ve got to hurry, too, for I can’t stay 
away from the beach hardly five minutes without 
being dreadfully homesick. In fact. I’m feeling 
mighty bad right now. So see if you cannot coax 
your pirate friend to do what I want.” 

But instead of trying to coax the pirate, Nip 
jumped up and whispered in Tuk’s ear, and then 
both boys whispered in the pirate’s ear. After 
which Nip told the Hopoff very distinctly that 
Slash would not be hopped on. 

“He won’t, eh?” roared the Million Jointed 
Hopoff, angrily, “then I’ll hop on him and I’ll hop 
on you, too, whether you like it or not.” 

Whereupon he cracked his tail once more — ker- 
zip — and started after them like fury. And that 
is exactly what Nip, and Tuk, and the pirate 
wanted him to do, for as he ran after them, they 
started running too, but further and further away 
from the beach. At first the Hopoff did not notice 

133 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


in what direction they were going, and then all of 
a sudden he did, but by that time he was so far 
from the beach that he had become awfully home- 
sick. Yes, sir-ee, he was so ill he could not even 
walk, let alone run. And in a few moments more 
he curled up with a grunt, closed his eyes and did 
not care whether he ever got a chance to hop on any- 
body again in his life. 

And no sooner had Nip, and Tuk, and Slash seen 
him do that than they knew here was their chance 
to dig up the treasure and carry it to the ship. 
And before the Million Jointed Hopoff had gotten 
over his wave of homesickness they had the treasure 
chest in a small boat and were rowing out to the 
vessel as cheerful as could be. 

Well, if you could have seen that Million 
Jointed Hopoff, you would have been sorry for 
him. Pale as a sheet he wobbled his way back to 
the beach just in time to see the pirate raise the 
sails of his ship and hoist up the anchor; and to see 
Nip and Tuk standing on the rail, waving their 
caps to him. 


134 


THE MILLION JOINTED HOPOFF 


“Good-by! Good-by!” they shouted. 

The Million Jointed HopofF did not say a word. 
He just gave them one disgusted look and then 
going to the top of the precipice, wrapped himself 
about himself and hopped — ker-plop — into the 
hole left by Nip and Tuk, and the pirate, when 
they had dug up the treasure. And if he was as 
disgusted as he looked, no doubt he is there yet. 

As for Nip and Tuk, and Slash, the pirate, and 
the treasure, they arrived safely at the pirate’s flat 
where a grand celebration was held, and Nip and 
Tuk were handsomely rewarded by Mrs. Slash, who 
had, as might have been expected, taken charge of 
the pirate’s gold. 

“Now don’t forget,” she said, on the morning 
they were leaving for home, “if you find any more 
memos telling where a pirate’s treasure is buried, 
to send my husband word at once. He loves to 
dig up buried treasure.” 

Slash, the pirate, shook his head. “No, I don’t,” 
he said, “now that I know there may be a Million 
Jointed HopofF around.” 


135 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


Once there was a princess whose father was the 
Emperor of Smugg, and one day the princess be- 
came engaged to be married. And the minute she 
told her father about it, he began to worry about 
what he should give her for a wedding present, for 
he wanted to give something no one else had ever 
given. So he sent for the Earl of Chowp, his Pri- 
vate Secretary, just about the cleverest man in the 
kingdom and asked him what he could suggest. 

‘‘Well,’' said the Earl, who thought himself even 
smarter than the Emperor thought him, “there are 
lots and lots of things.” 

“Yes, yes, I know that,” replied the monarch, im- 
patiently, “but I want to give something original. 
Something no one else has ever given as a wedding 
present before. Come now, what do you say? If 
any one can think of a new sort of a present, you 
can.” 

136 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


‘‘Hum,” said the Earl of Chowp, feeling even 
prouder of himself than he had a moment before, 
and thinking as hard as he could ; “well, it seems to 
me a Cheerful Dishwasherola would be a unique 
gift.” 

“A cheerful what?” inquired the Emperor. 

“A Cheerful Dishwasherola,” repeated the Pri- 
vate Secretary. “It washes dishes, you know.” 

“Indeed,” said the Emperor, “it does, eh? And 
how much does the machine cost?” 

“It isn’t a machine,” said the Earl of Chowp, 
“it’s an animal. It lives on soap and its sole 
amusement three hundred and sixty-five days in 
the year is washing dishes.” 

“Great Scott!” said the Emperor. “What a 
life! And how large is this — this Dishwash- 
erola?” 

“Well,” replied the Private Secretary, “I can’t 
quite say. I understand though it can wash the 
dirty dishes for a good sized town in twenty-two 
minutes. But — ” 

“No buts,” interrupted the Emperor. 

137 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


And then as his daughter entered the room he 
told her he was going to give her a Cheerful Dish- 
washerola as a wedding gift so she would never 
have to wash her own dishes when she set up house- 
keeping. 

“Oh, goody,” responded the princess, clapping 
her hands. 

'‘But — ” put in the Earl of Chowp, loudly. 

“No huts, I tell you,” retorted the monarch. 
“You get that Dishwasherola without any huts.” 

“But I don’t know where it is,” said the Private 
Secretary, hastily. “I can’t get it if I don’t know 
where it is.” 

“You don’t know where it is?” echoed the Em- 
peror. 

“Boo hoo,” wailed the princess, “I will have a 
Cheerful Dishwasherola.” 

“No,” said the Earl of Chowp, “I 'don’t. You 
see I read about it in a book years and years ago 
and I only suggested it because you wanted some- 
thing original.” 


138 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


“Oh, you did, eh?’ bawled the monarch, looking 
very disagreeable. “Well, you’ll produce that 
Dishwasherola or you’ll wash dishes for the prin- 
cess the rest of your life. And now, go.” 

And the wretched Private Secretary went out of 
the palace dragging his feet and feeling perfectly 
miserable, for he had not the slightest idea where 
to find a Cheerful Dishwasherola. 

Now when you are Private Secretary to an Em- 
peror you get a very good salary and so it is not 
surprising that the Earl of Chowp lived in a fine 
castle with servants and all sorts of luxuries, but 
as he entered his house he wished very much that 
he lived in a cottage and had no luxuries at all, for 
of what use are luxuries if you have to wash dishes 
all the days of your life. Indeed so downcast was 
the Earl, that his favorite nephew. Grig, who was 
visiting the castle with his mother, the Marchioness 
of Mutch, noticed it the moment he entered the 
front door. 

“Good gracious, uncle,” he said, “what is the 

139 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


matter? You look as though you were going to be 
sick/’ 

“I am/’ said the Earl of Chowp. ‘‘Indeed, I’ve 
already commenced.” 

And then he sat down in a carved armchair and 
told Grig and the Marchioness all about the Cheer- 
ful Dishwasherola, and how he had to get one for 
the princess or become a dishwasher himself. And 
by the time he had finished the Marchioness had 
fainted, for the thought of a relative of hers wash- 
ing dishes was more than she could stand; and it 
took Grig and his uncle an hour to bring her to. 

“Now,” said the Earl, when the Marchioness had 
recovered herself, “what is to be done? I cannot 
and will not wash dishes for anybody.” 

Grig, who was a bright, cheerful looking little 
boy about eighth years old, looked at his uncle 
earnestly. “I’ll tell you what,” he said, “let’s go 
and find a Dishwasherola, and then you won’t have 
to wash dishes. Don’t you think that’s a good way 
out of the trouble?” 

“Well,” said the Earl of Chowp, “it may be a 
140 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


good way but I am not at all sure it’s the right way. 
However, it seems to be the only way, so perhaps 
we had better try it.” 

Then he told Grig they would start the next 
morning. “Of course,” he said, “I really ought 
not to take a boy of your age along with me, and I 
wouldn’t except that it has been so long since I 
studied geography I’ve almost forgotten it, 
whereas I understand you have been doing per- 
fectly fine in it at school.” 

“Yes, indeed,” said Grig, “I can draw almost 
every map in my atlas, and I am sure that will help 
us to find the Dishwasherola.” 

So at dawn the following day the Earl of Chowp 
and his nephew. Grig, and their servants and a long 
string of moving vans to carry their belongings, 
started out to hunt for the Cheerful Dishwasherola, 
but though they started in very good spirits they 
did not feel half so cheerful when, after traveling 
almost a week they found they might as well have 
stayed at home, for not a sign could they see of the 
creature for which they were hunting. 

141 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“It’s no use,” groaned the King’s Secretary, “I 
shall have to return to the castle and practice dish 
washing. My doom is upon me.” 

“Oh, don’t say that,” responded Grig, “we 
haven’t tried half the maps in my geography yet. 
Cheer up, uncle.” 

“Cheer up,” retorted the Earl of Chowp, bitterly. 
“It’s easy for you to talk. Y ou won’t have to wash 
dishes when we get home.” 

Then he rolled himself in his blanket and 
stretched out by the camp fire they had built and 
promptly fell asleep, which goes to show he was not 
half as much worried as he said he was. But Grig 
could not sleep at all. Although he let on he was 
not worried, he was, very much, for he knew if his 
uncle did have to go back and wash dishes the rest 
of his life the disgrace would almost kill his mother, 
the Marchioness. 

“Gee, whiz,” he muttered, “we simply must find 
that Dishwasherola, somehow” 

It was full moon and for a long time he just lay 
and watched the silvery disk and thought and 
142 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


thought. And then suddenly he heard something, 
far, far off, and sat up on his blanket and listened 
with all his might. And what do you think he 
heard? Growls, or howls, or roars? No, sir-ee, 
he heard singing — that is, singing of a sort ; some- 
thing that sounded like the steam piano they have 
in the circus only saying words, and these were the 
words : 

Keep out of the kitchen, Maud, 

I’ll do the dishes for you. 

Cheer up, be gay — go off and play, 

No more shall housework bore you. 

I’ll be your drudge so do not budge 
From your seat at the pianola — 

Keep out of the kitchen, Maud — 

Leave all to the Dishwasherola. 

“Uncle, uncle,” he cried, shaking the snoring 
Earl as hard as he could, “wake up !” 

And the Earl of Chowp, rubbing his eyes and 
yawning, sat up and began to listen, too. “Jim- 
iny crickets !” he exclaimed after a moment, “I do 
believe it is the Cheerful Dishwasherola. I re- 
member now the book said it always sang at its 

143 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


work and had a voice like a locomotive. Quick, 
let’s be moving before it stops singing.” 

So all that moonlight night the travelers hurried 
toward the place where the singing seemed to be, 
and about daybreak they came to a queer looking 
town nestling in a valley, and when they got there 
the singing was so loud it made you put your fin- 
gers in your ears. And then just as the sun rose 
above the distant hills, it stopped and people began 
to come out of the houses and move about the 
streets. 

“Excuse me,” said the Earl of Chowp, touching 
one of the passing citizens on the shoulder, “but 
what was that singing we heard a while ago? 
Was it the Cheerful Dishwasherola?” 

“Sure,” replied the man, proudly, “it was our 
Dishwasherola. Doesn’t he sing great?” 

“Fine,” responded the Earl, “I’d like to own one 
myself. Are there any more around here ?” 

“Well,” said the citizen, “you’ll have to see the 
Mayor about that. I have heard that this valley 
used to be full of ’em but you’d better see the 
144 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


Mayor to make sure. That is his house at the end 
of the street/’ 

So Grig and his uncle went to see the Mayor 
about it. “My,” said the Earl, as they knocked at 
the door of the official’s dwelling, “I do hope he can 
tell us where there is another Dishwasherola. He 
ought to know.” 

“I hope so, too,” said Grig, “but if there are no 
more, what shall we do^” 

“Well,” said the Earl, “the only thing we can do 
then is to buy this one. But I guess the Mayor 
can tell us where to find another.” 

But alas, the Mayor could not do anything of the 
kind. He was a round little man with a bald head 
and he wore a long black gown with fur at the neck. 
“I’m very sorry,” he said, when he heard what they 
wanted, “but so far as I know the Dishwasherola 
we have is the last of the breed.” 

“Dear me,” said the Earl of Chowp, his heart 
sinking, “isn’t that awful? I simply must have a 
Dishwasherola. How would you like to sell 
yours, eh?” 


145 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


The Mayor sprang to his feet quivering like a 
bowlful of jelly. “Sell the Cheerful Dishwash- 
erola that has been the pride of our town for gen- 
erations? Never, sir, never!’’ 

“But,” put in Grig, “perhaps you don’t under- 
stand what a fix my uncle is in.” And he told the 
Mayor all about the Emperor and how he had in- 
sisted that the Earl produce a Dishwasherola for 
his daughter’s wedding present. “Just think,” he 
added, “what will happen to my uncle if you don’t 
sell him your Dishwasherola.” 

“Just think,” replied the Mayor, “what will hap- 
pen to me if I do. In the first place I should lose 
my job, and in the second place I should probably 
lose my life, for the housewives of the town are as 
proud of our Dishwasherola as your mother is of 
her kitchen cabinet, if she has one.” 

“She hasn’t,” replied Grig, “but if she had I 
know she would sell it if we gave her the same rea- 
sons for buying it that we have given you for buy- 
ing the Dishwasherola.” 

“Maybe so,” said the Mayor, “but I can’t help 
146 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


what your mother would do. I only know that we 
will not sell our Cheerful Dishwasherola.” 

“Then,” shouted the Earl of Chowp, losing his 
temper and leaping to his feet, “I’ll — I’ll kidnap 
it.” 

“Ho, ho,” laughed the Mayor. “Excuse this 
merriment, but you’ll kidnap it, will you*? That’s 
good ! Why, my dear sir, the Cheerful Dishwash- 
erola weighs three tons and is so set in his ways that 
if you tried to steal him, why — well. I’ll tell you 
what, just come and see for yourself.” 

And with that he led them to a large, round 
building with a glass roof, and there inside they 
saw the Cheerful Dishwasherola and the sight of 
him made them gasp. 

Now, perhaps you have seen a Dishwasherola 
and then again perhaps you have not, so perhaps to 
be on the safe side it will do no harm to describe 
what this one looked like. A Dishwasherola’s 
mouth is three feet wide and at each corner of his 
mouth he has an eye. His body is as round as a 
plate and polished like one, but all over his back 
H7 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


are holes opening out like funnels, and all about his 
body in a ring are legs with feet on them, and half 
of his feet are made of soft bristles and half of 
spongy-like stuff. Way up on his forehead is his 
nose which is what he sings with, but as Grig and 
his uncle looked at the creature he was snoring with 
it, for he was sound asleep. 

‘'You see,” said the Mayor, “this Dishwasherola 
will only work on moonlight nights, that is why the 
roof is of glass, but if we especially desire him to 
work at other times we can frequently induce him 
to do so by feeding him scented toilet soap instead 
of kitchen soap. He is passionately fond of 
scented toilet soap but as it is horribly expensive 
he does not get it very often, you may be sure. 
However, as you have never seen a Dishwasherola 
work I’ll try to get him to give an exhibition.” 

With that he stuck a large piece of toilet soap on 
a pole and extended it over the railing of the huge 
tank or tub the Dishwasherola was occupying. 
“Hi,” he shouted, as loud as he could. 

The Dishwasherola opened one eye and then 
148 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


when he saw the toilet soap he opened his other eye 
and gulped down the soap in a flash, and as soon 
as he did that the Mayor reaching into a box that 
stood near by began to hurl piece after piece of 
toilet soap into the Dishwasherola’s mouth as fast 
as he could, and in three minutes the Dishwasher- 
ola was washing dishes as fast as he could. 

And my, what a sight it was ! Attendants out- 
side the tank turned on tons of hot water until the 
floor of the tub was covered and then began hurl- 
ing the dishes in, and as fast as they threw them 
in the Dishwasherola caught them, scrubbed them 
with his feet, soused them in the hot water, and 
then tossed them into a net above him where they 
were dried by the steam that came out of the holes 
in his back, and all the while he was chewing soap 
with his mouth and singing cheerfully with his 
nose. 

“Marvelous, isn't it?" said the Mayor, after they 
had watched the performance for a- while. 

“Simply sublime," said the Earl of Chowp. 

“And do you think- you could ever kidnap an 
149 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


apparatus like that?’’ asked the Mayor, cheerfully. 

“No,” said the Earl, “I don’t suppose we could.” 

“Ha,” said the Mayor, scornfully, “/ don’t sup- 
pose anything about it. I know you couldn’t. 
Why, if you can kidnap this Dishwasherola, you 
can have him, and my word is law in this town.” 

“Do you mean that?” asked Grig. 

“Certainly I mean it. Why, I wouldn’t know 
how to get him out of the building myself. He 
was there long before I was born, some say three 
hundred years.” 

The Earl of Chowp groaned. “It’s no use. I’m 
done for.” He staggered out of the building and 
down the street followed by Grig until they came 
to the inn where they had left their servants and 
wagon train. 

“Go ahead, pack up,” said the Earl, with an- 
other groan. 

“All right, I will,” said Grig, “but as soon as I 
have I’m going back to get that Dishwasherola, if 
you will help me.” 

“Are you crazy?” said the Earl. 

150 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


“No/’ replied Grig, “but the Mayor is, for he 
told us we could have the Dishwasherola if we 
could kidnap him and that is what we are going to 
do, but we’ll need all your scented toilet soap to 
do it.” 

Then he told his uncle that while the Mayor was 
talking he had happened to remember that the 
Earl’s valet in packing his bathtub had filled it full 
of the most exquisitely scented toilet soap to make 
his turkish towels smell nice, and that his plan was 
to coax the Cheerful Dishwasherola away from the 
valley by means of the toilet soap. “And I think 
it will work, too,” he added. 

“Hooray! Hooray-hooray-hooray!” shouted the 
Earl, beside himself with joy, “I know it will. 
Grig, you have saved my reputation !” 

And so it was that ten minutes after that the 
Earl of Chowp and his nephew with their arms full 
of toilet soap stood alongside the tub where the 
Dishwasherola was again napping, while outside 
their servants waited all ready to travel. 

“Hi,” shouted Grig. 

151 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


The Dishwasherola opened one eye and then as 
the boy tossed him one of the deliciously smelling 
pieces of soap, he opened the other eye and caught 
it in his mouth. And the moment he tasted it he 
rolled both eyes and gave a blissful shudder, and 
then opened his mouth for more. 

“No,” said Grig, “you can’t have any more now, 
but if you come outside you can.” 

And that was where Grig was taking a big 
chance. He knew the Dishwasherola could not 
talk but he did not feel sure it could not understand 
what you might say to it and hoped it could. And 
as good fortune had it, the Dishwasherola did un- 
derstand perfectly, and scarcely had Grig and the 
Earl of Chowp quitted the building than there was 
a crash of glass and over the top of the walls came 
the Dishwasherola with his mouth watering for 
more of that toilet soap. 

So Grig threw him a piece, and the moment he 
swallowed it, bing, the Earl threw him another; 
and that was the way they kept it up until they had 
quitted the valley and were well on their way to 
152 



Grig threw him a piece of soap 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


the court of the Emperor of Smugg. And then for 
fear the toilet soap would not last, Grig put a piece 
on a stick and held it just in front of the Dishwash- 
erola’s mouth, and as the Dishwasherola could not 
travel very fast he was able to coax the creature 
without wasting any more soap. 

Well, of course, the inhabitants of the town in 
the valley were furious, but as the Mayor had given 
Grig and his uncle permission to carry off the Dish- 
washerola if they could, they could not say a thing 
against it. But they did something, yes, sir-ee. 
They took the Mayor and they put him in the tub 
where the Dishwasherola had been and heaped 
dishes all over him and he had to wash his way out 
all day long. 

As for Grig and the Earl, and the Cheerful Dish- 
washerola, they arrived home safely and it is hard 
to say which was the more delighted with the Dish- 
washerola, the Emperor or his daughter. 

“Chowp,” said the monarch, “you have done 
yourself proud. You are a great man.’’ 

“Your majesty,” replied the nobleman, “my 

154 


THE CHEERFUL DISHWASHEROLA 


nephew here will be a greater man when he grows 
up. If it had not been for him I should probably 
be washing dishes for your daughter, instead of the 
Cheerful Dishwasherola doing it.” 

And the Emperor, turning to the vast crowd that 
had gathered to witness the opening of the new 
building which had been built for the princess' wed- 
ding present, commanded them to give three cheers 
for the boy who had given the princess the most 
wonderful gift a princess had ever received. 

And my, how the people did cheer, for you see 
they felt cheerful, especially the ladies, because 
they knew the princess would loan them her wed- 
ding present, and now that the Dishwasherola was 
on the job there would be no more dishwashing for- 
ever in the Kingdom of Smugg. 


155 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


It is certainly very, very nice when you have 
been very, very poor to find out all of a sudden that 
somebody has died and left you a very, very large 
fortune. Or at least that was the way the Widow 
Weed of Skratch felt about it when on returning 
to her cottage after a hard day’s work she was told 
by her little son Spud that a gentleman wished to 
see her and was waiting in the parlor. 

“What does he want to see me about?” she 
asked. “No one has wanted to see me for a long 
time except you. Spud.” 

“Well,” said Spud, his blue eyes shining with 
excitement, “he says your step-uncle on your fath- 
er’s side has died and left you a fortune.” 

“A — a — a fortune!” stammered the widow, be- 
ginning to feel rather excited also, “oh, it can’t be. 
Why — why — why my step-uncle on my father’s 
156 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


side never liked me and I didn’t like him, he was 
too fussy. There must be some mistake.” 

'‘Gee whiz, I hope not,” said Spud. 

“So do I,” said his mother, “but I am afraid some- 
thing is wrong.” 

Then she went into the parlor and shook hands 
with the visitor who was a very, very solemn look- 
ing person. 

“Madam,” he said, “I am the solicitor of your 
step-uncle on your father’s side, and your step- 
uncle on your father’s side having now passed 
away I have come to tell you that he has left you 
all he had. Perhaps you knew he was awfully 
rich, and you are his nearest relation.” 

“No,” said the widow, “I didn’t. I knew he 
was awfully fussy, though. Why, the last time he 
was here he got mad because I didn’t ask him to 
have a second piece of pie, and we have never 
spoken since.” 

“Hum,” said the stranger, “how unfortunate. 
And why didn’t you ask him to have a second piece 
of pie?’ 


157 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Because,’’ replied the widow, “there wasn’t any 
more.” 

“A very good reason,” said the solicitor, “but 
still you might have asked him, anyway, and if you 
had perhaps things might have come out differ- 
ently.” 

The Widow Weed looked puzzled. “How do 
you mean, different*?” she asked. 

“Well,” continued the caller, “your step-uncle 
on your father’s side has left you his entire fortune 
bur — he stopped and stared at Spud and his 
mother sternly — “he left it in such a way that I’m 
afraid you’ll have a horrid time getting it. And 
that is why I say it would have been better if you 
had asked him to have another piece of pie just for 
politeness’ sake, even though you couldn’t have 
given it to him, because now he has gotten even 
with you by almost giving you a castle full of gold, 
silver and jewels, and yet not quite.” 

The Widow Weed stamped her foot. ''Will 
you tell me what you mean? What’s the use of 
stirring me up this way?” 

158 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


“Well,” said the lawyer, “what I mean is this. 
Your step-uncle on your father's side has left you 
about six tons of gold, silver and jewels but it is 
in a castle in the hills, and in the castle are six large 
disagreeable giants who have the use of the place 
rent free as long as they keep you from getting your 
step-uncle's riches.'' 

“Oh,” cried the widow, bitterly, “if that isn't 
just like the old thing, and all because he wasn't 
asked to have a second piece of pie.” 

And with that she threw her apron over her head 
and burst into tears, and by the time she had re- 
covered her composure the caller had gone. 

Now, strange as it may seem, whenever anybody 
in a town gets left a fortune everybody finds it out 
right away no matter how you try to keep it secret. 
And so it was that presently all the inhabitants of 
Skratch were talking about the Widow Weed's 
windfall. But when they found out how the for- 
tune was left to her they stopped talking and began 
to laugh. They laughed and laughed, and pointed 
their fingers at Spud and his mother and asked them 
' 159 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


what they were going to do with the fortune they 
could not get. 

“Never mind,” said Spud, when he saw how mis- 
erable the widow felt, “I’ll find out some way to get 
that money, you see if I don’t.” 

The widow shook her head mournfully. “No, 
no,” she said, “there isn’t a chance. I am a poor 
woman and you are only a boy and there is no one 
to help us. What can we do against a castle full 
of giants*?” 

But just the same Spud determined to try to 
think out a way to get his mother’s step-uncle’s 
riches. So he went to a celebrated magician named 
Yow. 

“I should like to know,” he said, “just how to get 
about six tons of gold, silver and jewels out of a 
castle that is guarded by six giants^ Perhaps you 
have heard about the case.” 

“Sure,” said the wizard, grinning, “I’ve heard 
about it. In fact I laughed myself sick over it. 
Your mother’s step-uncle on her father’s side cer- 
tainly did know how to play a good joke.” 

160 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


“Oh/’ cried Spud, “it may seem a good joke to 
you but it is no joke to my mother when she has to 
work so hard. Can you tell me how to get the six 
tons of gold, silver and jewels or not*?” 

**Certainly I can,” replied the magician. “Get 
six wagons, drive up to the castle and load the gold, 
silver and jewels on the wagons, and then drive 
home again. Ten dollars, please.” 

“T en dollars ?” repeated Spud. **What for *?” 

“What for*?” said the wizard, **why, for telling 
you how to get the gold, silver and jewels out of 
the castle, and I’m not joking, either. I’m not in 
business for my health, you know.” 

*‘But,” said Spud, *‘I haven’t got ten dollars. 
I haven’t even got ten cents. And besides, you 
didn’t tell me how to get rid of the giants.” 

**You didn’t ask me,’ said the wizard. “You 
asked how to get the gold, silver and jewels out of 
the castle. If I tell you how to get rid of the 
giants it will be ten dollars more, and as you 
haven’t even got ten cents, what’s the useT’ 

Well, you may be sure Spud was verv much dis- 
i6i 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


gusted when he heard that, but not half as dis- 
gusted as Yow was, for ten dollars is ten dollars, 
whether you are a magician or not. 

'‘See here,” said the wizard, "I can’t afford to 
lose that ten dollars.” 

“Maybe not,” replied Spud, “but neither can I 
afford to pay it to you when I haven’t got it.” 

“Then,” said Yow, “you shall take me to the 
castle and I’ll explain matters to the giants, and I 
have no doubt when they learn that you cannot 
pay me my fee unless you get your mother’s for- 
tune, that they’ll let you have it.” 

“I don’t think so,” said Spud. “It’s nothing to 
them whether you get your fee or not. Why don’t 
you tell me just what to do to get rid of the giants 
and then I could pay you the ten dollars I owe you, 
and the other ten dollars for telling me about the 
giants.” 

Yow shook his head. “No, sir-ee, I don’t be- 
lieve in throwing good money after bad. I’d 
rather have you owe me ten dollars than twenty. I 
prefer to see the giants.” 

162 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


So Spud and the magician set off for the castle. 
When they got there they heard singing, and peep- 
ing in through the window saw that the six giants 
were sitting at. a table eating soup out of a bowl as 
big as a swimming pool, and singing at the top of 
their lungs : 

There may be folks who are fond of soup 
But we are not that kind, sir. 

We merely eat it to keep off croup. 

Which fact please bear in mind, sir. 

What we really love are dumplings boiled 
With boys inside, well spanked or spoiled — 

Good boys are nice, but bad ones — yum ! 

We love the bad ones, every crumb. 

So here’s to the day that will come, we say, 

When a boy perchance will come this way. 

All fat and freckled, and plump and sweet. 

And then, oh my, how we will eat ! 

Now you can just imagine when Spud heard 
what they were singing about he felt more like go- 
ing back home than anything else, and no doubt he 
would have gone back home if the wizard had not 
grabbed him and held him fast. 

163 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Let go!” exclaimed Spud. “I don’t think I’ll 
bother about getting my mother’s fortune just 
now.” 

“That’s all right,” retorted Yow, “you can do as 
you want about your mother’s fortune but you can’t 
do as you want about that ten dollars you owe me, 
so ring the doorbell and find out if the giants will 
see us a moment.” 

So Spud, wishing himself a thousand miles away, 
rang the doorbell with a trembling hand, and pres- 
ently, bing, the door flew open with a crash and 
there stood a giant about thirty feet high with 
bushy green whiskers and ears that flapped to and 
fro. And the minute his eyes fell on Spud he com- 
menced to smack his lips. Then he looked at Y ow, 
the magician. 

“How much do you want for him?” he asked the 
wizard, “or maybe you’ve brought him as a present 
to us. My, but it’s a long time since we’ve tasted 
a boy.” 

Well, if Spud had been shaking in his shoes be- 
fore, he was shaking in every part of his clothes by 
164 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


this time. “Now see what you’ve done!” he whis- 
pered to the magician. “All they’re thinking of is 
eating mer 

“Be calm,” responded the wizard, “you’ve got to 
be cooked before you’re eaten, so there’s plenty of 
time to worry.” Then he turned to the giant on 
the doorstep. “What sort of a way is this?” he in- 
quired. “Why don’t you invite us in? Haven’t 
you any manners?” 

“Sure,” responded the giant with the green 
whiskers, “but the sight of that boy knocked ’em all 
out of me. My, isn’t he nice and plump looking, 
though!” Then he led the way into the dining 
room where the other giants were. 

“Brothers,” he cried, “here’s luck. This gentle- 
man has brought us a fine, fat little boy. Three 
cheers!” 

“Hip, hip, hooray!” bellowed the giants. 

“Hold on! Hold on!” shouted the magician, 
“you are going too fast. I didn’t bring the boy, the 
boy brought me so you could help me collect the 
ten dollars he owes me.” 

165 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Then he told the giants all about Spud’s 
mother’s fortune and asked them to turn it over to 
Spud so he could pay back the ten dollars he owed. 

“But,” said the giant with the green whiskers, 
“if we let him have the treasure we would have to 
pay rent for the castle and we couldn’t do that, you 
know, we don’t know how.” 

“Pooh ! It’s easy to learn how to do that,” said 
Yow. “It’s as easy as falling off a roof. I hope 
you are not going to let that stand in the way of my 
getting my ten dollars. Because if you are, just 
let me tell you that I’m a wizard and can make 
things very unpleasant for you.” 

“A wizard,” screamed the giants, “well, well, 
well, if all the nice things in the world are not com- 
ing our way. Why, we’d rather eat a wizard than 
a boy any day. A wizard, well boiled, sharpens 
your wits, while a boy, in a dumpling or out, 
merely sharpens your appetite. Now we will have 
a feast.” 

And with that they seized Spud and the magi- 
cian and hung them by their collars on hooks fas- 
166 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


tened in the ceiling, and then dragging forth a 
huge kettle filled it with water and placed it over 
the fire in the immense fireplace. 

“My goodness,” said Spud, looking at Yow anx- 
iously, “can’t you think of something to do to keep 
us from being cooked*? I thought you knew all 
about magic.” 

“And I do, too,” snapped the wizard, “but you 
can’t work magic spells when you’re excited. And 
you can’t hang on a hook like this without being 
excited, can you? As soon as I get quiet in my 
mind I’ll fix these giants, all right.” 

But somehow the wizard could not get his mind 
quiet for the giants made so much noise getting 
things ready for the feast, and kept pinching his 
legs so much to see how tender he was, that he could 
not help being excited, though he tried his best not 
to be. 

“Now,” said the giant with the green whiskers, 
looking first at Spud and then at the wizard as the 
water in the kettle began to boil, “if you are ready 
for the grand celebration, we are. Are you ?” 

167 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“No/’ replied the magician, “we are not, or at 
least, I am not, not nearly ready. And if you had 
any sense you wouldn’t be ready either. Don’t 
you know when you are going to cook anything you 
always ought to let it hang for quite a while to get 
tender, especially when it is as old as I am?” 

“Hum,” said the giant with the green whiskers, 
“perhaps that is so. Well, we’ll eat the boy first. 
He doesn’t need to hang any longer; he’ll just melt 
in our mouths.” Then he went off to assist the 
other giants in sharpening their carving knives. 

“There,” said the wizard, heaving a sigh of re- 
lief, “that is what I call clever business. If I 
hadn’t had my wits about me they’d have put me 
in the pot right off.” 

“Oh, yes,” said Spud bitterly, “you’re very 
smart, indeed, looking out for yourself, but what 
about me? Why don’t you do something to keep 
me from going in the pot?” 

Yow coughed and wriggled uneasily. “My 
goodness,” he said, “don’t you think I’m trying? 
No one regrets the state of affairs more than I do, 
•168 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


and if I could do anything to keep you from being 
cooked, I would, but my mind is a perfect blank, 
magically speaking. Only a tranquil mind can 
work enchantments and if you can tell me how to 
be tranquil right now, I wish you would. Can 
you?” 

“No,” said Spud, “I can’t.” 

“Well, then,” replied the wizard, “why find 
fault with me? And now here they come for you, 
so good-by and take care of yourself.” 

Sure enough the giants were coming, and Spud 
with a shudder gave himself up for lost. And 
then, just as the fellow with the green whiskers 
reached for him, the collar of the boy’s coat gave a 
rip, and the next moment Spud had fallen from the 
hook to the floor. And the next moment he had 
sprung to his feet, leaped out of the window and 
started to run away as fast as he could. 

Now the castle where the giants lived was a big 
round one, and all about it was a broad roadway. 
Of course what Spud should have done after he got 
out of the castle was to go straight home, but when 
169 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


you are frightened you do not always do what you 
ought to, so Spud, feeling that he must run some- 
where very quickly, and hearing the giants scram- 
bling and squeezing through the window after him, 
started at full speed along the roadway that circled 
the castle. But long before he had gone half 
around the castle the entire company of giants, 
with the green whiskered fellow leading, were 
pounding along the roadway also, in close pursuit. 

“Oh, dear ! Oh, dear !'’ gasped Spud, “isn’t this 
awful? I wonder if I’m getting ahead any?” 

He looked back over his shoulder and then he 
ran harder than ever, for it seemed to him that he 
must surely be beating the giants because they 
seemed to be smaller, and if they were smaller of 
course that was because he was getting further 
away from them. 

One, two, three times he circled the castle, and 
then he looked back once more. Hurrah, the 
giants were smaller than ever. He was beating 
them, sure. 

“I’ll go around two more times,” he said to him- 
170 



/ 


He started to run away as fast as he could 



THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


self, “and then if I am just as far ahead of the 
giants, ril sit down and rest.” 

So taking a deep breath he went whizzing about 
the castle, and then he sat down on a stone near by 
and waited for the giants to catch up to him a little, 
for he could not see them anywhere. Five, ten, 
fifteen minutes went by, but still the giants did not 
come. 

“My gracious,” said Spud, “they must have 
given the race up and gone indoors. And if they 
did that I suppose they are cooking the wizard.” 

Now Spud did not like Yow for a cent because 
the magician had played him a very mean trick, but 
still he did not feel like going off home and not 
knowing for sure what had become of his compan- 
ion. Of course, if Y ow was being cooked he could 
not help him, but if he peeped in the window and 
found out for sure, then he could tell the wizard’s 
family what had become of him. 

So very cautiously Spud crept along the castle 
wall until he came to the dining room window, and 
then he took a quick look inside. “Oh,” he gasped. 
172 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


For there, still hanging on the hook was the magi- 
cian, but of the giants there was not a sign. 

'‘Hi,” called Spud, softly, “where are the 
giants?” 

“Eh, what?” replied Yow, twisting about. And 
then when he saw Spud his eyes nearly popped out 
of his head. “Why — why — why — ” he stam- 
mered, “didn’t they catch you?” 

“Not much,” responded the boy. “I beat ’em 
all to pieces. I got so far ahead of them I couldn’t 
see them, so I thought they had gone indoors to 
cook you. But now, I don’t know where they are. 
If they are not inside they must be outside, and if 
they are not outside they must be in, and yet they 
do not seem to be either place. Whoever heard of 
such a thing?” 

And then it was that the wizard gave a yell of 
joy and kicked and jumped about so it is a wonder 
the hook did not tear through his collar, “/’w 
heard of such a thing,” he shouted. “I know all 
about it. You’ll never see those giants again. 
Listen.” 


173 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


Then he told Spud that no giant should ever 
run. “It wears them out in no time,” he contin- 
ued, “and if they keep it up long enough it wears 
them to nothing. And that is what has happened 
to the six giants who were chasing you. I suppose 
they were so anxious to catch you they forgot ^out 
the danger to themselves, or thought they would 
get you before they wore themselves out too much. 
But anyhow they’ve done for themselves, so now 
you can help me down from this hook and we’ll go 
and get your mother’s fortune.” 

“Oh, that’s all right,” said Spud, “there’s no 
hurry about your getting down. I can get my 
mother’s fortune by myself very nicely.” 

“What,” roared the wizard, “do you mean to say 
you are not going to help me?” 

“You didn’t help me when I was on the hook,” 
retorted Spud. 

“Oh, you — you — ” sputtered the magician. “If 
I wasn’t so excited I’d — I’d wi-sh myself off this 
hook and I’d — I’d turn you into a clothes pin or 
something.” 


174 


THE CASTLE OF GIANTS 


But as the wizard had a very violent temper and 
as the longer he hung on the hook the more excited 
he got, he could not do a thing. And so it was that 
there he stayed while Spud went off and hired a 
number of express wagons to haul the gold, silver 
and jewels to his mother’s cottage. And then after 
it was all done he climbed up on the table and pre- 
pared to help Yow down off the hook. 

“Will you promise,” he said, “not to turn me into 
anything later on if I let you down?” 

And the wizard after scowling awfully and 
grinding his teeth for a few minutes, said he would, 
and Spud took out his pocket knife and cut his 
coat collar and let him drop to the floor. Then he 
gave him a good big heaping handful of the glitter- 
ing gold pieces. 

“There’s your ten dollars,” he said, “and more, 
too, so you needn’t tell people I didn’t pay you 
what I owed.” 

“Oh, I wouldn’t think of doing such a thing,” 
replied the magician, grabbing the gold eagerly, 
“I knew of course you’d pay me. And now that 

175 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


you are rich I hope you won’t fail to come and see 
me when you need any more magical advice.” 

And then he went off and boasted to everybody 
in town how, being a wonderful wizard, he had res- 
cued the fortune left to the Widow Weed by her 
step-uncle on her father’s side. And it made such 
a good advertisement for him that he had to hire 
several assistant magicians to help take care of his 
increased business. 

But Spud and his mother did not care what the 
old wizard said. They were too busy building a 
fine new house and buying automobiles and things 
with the gold, silver and jewels that Spud’s 
mother’s step-uncle on her father’s side never 
thought she would get because he had locked them 
safe, as he felt sure, in the Castle of Giants. 


176 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


Almost every boy’s mother keeps preserves in her 
pantry closet, peach preserves, plum, apple, straw- 
berry preserves ; in fact, she has preserves of every 
sort for a hungry boy to eat. 

And so it was that Queen Deft, who, with her 
husband, the King, ruled over the tidy city of 
Trym, had like all other mothers a most delightful 
collection of preserves in her pantry closet also. 
And when her little son. Prince Frol, asked for a 
piece of bread and butter she would spread it thick 
with preserves, and maybe the Prince did not like 
that. 

Well, you would think when Prince Frol’s 
mother was so nice to him and gave him preserves 
whenever it was good for him to have some, that 
he would have been contented. But, strange to 
say, he was not contented at all, and longed to get 
into the preserve closet and eat, and eat, of every 
177 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


kind of preserves there were, and never stop until 
there were no more left. And finally one day when 
his father, the King had gone off to a war or some- 
thing, and his mother, the Queen, had gone off to a 
club or something, and the royal cook, and the royal 
housemaid, and the royal butler, and the royal foot- 
men, because the King and Queen had gone off, 
had gone off also, the Prince saw his chance and 
slipping into the preserve closet he began to eat his 
way from the bottom shelf to the top. 

And then when he got to the top shelf he 
stopped, partly because he was so dreadfully sticky 
all over, and partly because he was so awfully full, 
but principally because on the top shelf he sud- 
denly discovered a Sticky Jameetis. 

“Oh!” said the Prince, almost falling from the 
step-ladder he had dragged into the closet. 

“How do you do?” exclaimed the Sticky Jam- 
eetis, whose long legs were curled up around his 
head and who was almost as sticky as the Prince. 

“Oh — oh — very well,” stammered the boy, star- 
ing with all his might. “But who are you?” 

178 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


“Who am responded the stranger. “Why, 
I’m a Sticky Jameetis, of course. And I’m really 
surprised you should come in this closet when you 
must have known I had been appointed to it.” 

“But,” said the Prince, “I didn’t know. I — I — 
I never knew there was such a thing as a sticky 
jameetis.” 

“Such a thing?'' repeated the Sticky Jameetis, 
swinging around so that his legs dangled over the 
edge of the shelf. “I’m not a thing. I’m a person 
— a perfectly respectable person and a citizen of 
Jameeto. Haven’t you ever been to school?” 

“Why — why, yes,” said Frol, “but they never 
taught us about anybody like you.” 

“Indeed,” said the Sticky Jameetis, “then it 
must have been a very, very poor school.” 

“Well,” replied the Prince, “maybe it was. For 
myself, I really don’t care much for schools of any 
kind. And now I’ll have to go and clean myself 
up before my mother gets back. Good-by !” 

“Good-by, nothing,” retorted the Sticky Jam- 
eetis. “Do you suppose I’m going to let you go 
179 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


away and come back when you feel like it? Not 
much. Either I’ve been appointed to this preserve 
closet or you have, and the only way to find out is to 
return to Jameeto and asked the Grand Jamboree.” 

“What do you mean,” said the Prince, “by going 
to Jameeto and the Grand Jamboree?” 

“Actions speak louder than words,” retorted the 
other, “just give me your hand a moment.” 

And then as the Prince extended his hand hesi- 
tatingly the stranger caught it and jerked him up on 
the shelf. And then before Frol knew it he found 
himself stumbling up a flight of stairs with the 
Sticky Jameetis pushing him from behind until at 
last they came to a door which swung open and let 
them into the city of Jameeto, all shiny and sweet, 
and beautifully sticky with every preserve in the 
world. 

“Now,” said the Sticky Jameeto, “we’ll have to 
walk fast or we’ll stick fast before we get to the 
Grand Jamboree’s palace. So hurry all you can.” 

And you may sure the Prince did hurry, for he 
had no desire to get stuck fast anywhere in a place 
180 



They came to a door which swung open 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


he had never seen before. And so it was that they 
arrived at the palace in perfectly good shape, even 
though the Sticky Jameetis had had to stop once 
to pull Frol loose as they crossed the street at Plum 
Avenue. 

Now the Grand Jamboree was the only person in 
Jameeto who was not sticky. Nobody but himself 
knew how he managed it, but he did, and when at 
last the Prince stood before him the boy thought he 
had never seen any one so very, very neat. 

“Well,” said the Grand Jamboree, tucking his 
hands beneath the tails of his long coat and flap- 
ping the tails up and down as he gazed solemnly at 
Frol, “what are you hanging around here for*? 
Why are you not on duty in a preserve closet some- 
where like a sticky jameetis ought to be?” 

“Because,” said the Prince, “I am not a sticky 
jameetis. Pm Prince Frol of the tidy city of 
Trym.” 

“Hum,” said the Grand Jamboree, “you don’t 
look it. You look exactly like a sticky jameetis, 
only stickier. Are you sure you are not one?” 

182 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


“I know Fin not,” retorted the Prince. “I may 
be a trifle sticky but I am not a sticky jameetis.” 

“Then,” said the Sticky Jameetis, who stood at 
FroFs elbow, “what were you doing in my preserve 
closet?’ 

“It wasn’t your preserve closet,” cried the boy, 
“it was my mother’s preserve closet.” 

“Indeed,” exclaimed the Grand Jamboree, “and 
what were you doing there?’ 

“Well,” said the Prince, “I just sort of went in 
for a moment and — 

“I knew you hadn’t been appointed to it,” 
shouted the Sticky Jameetis, triumphantly. “I 
knew it.” 

“Silence,” commanded the Grand Jamboree, 
holding up his hand. Then he turned to the 
Prince. “So you just sort of went in, eh? And 
did your mother know that you just sort of went 
in?’ 

“Well — er — ah — began Frol, “not exactly, 
but — but I was going to tell her some day, per- 
haps.” 

183 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


'‘Some day — ^perhaps — ’’ echoed the Grand Jam- 
boree, scornfully. “That’s what they all say.” 

Whereupon he told the Prince that the start of a 
sticky jameetis was a boy who prowled in a preserve 
closet when he was not allowed to. “Every sticky 
jameetis in Jameeto,” he went on, “was once a boy 
like you. / was once a boy like you but by working 
night and day and by exercising a firm determina- 
tion to steer clear of preserve closets I have reached 
my present proud position as Grand Jamboree of 
this delightful spot. But I have no doubt you will 
be nothing else but what you are the rest of your 
days. It takes a soul above preserves to be any- 
thing else.” 

And with that he turned his back on the Prince 
and his companion, which was a pretty good sign 
that he had had quite enough of them. 

“What does he mean*?” asked the Prince, as he 
and the Sticky Jameetis left the palace of the 
Grand Jamboree. 

“Blessed if I know,” said the Sticky Jameetis, 
“I never can understand what he says when he 
184 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


talks about a soul above preserves. No sticky jam- 
eetis can. And now Fll have to go back to my 
place in your mother’s preserve closet. I’ll tell her 
where you are if she asks me.” 

'‘Wait! Hold on!” shouted the Prince. “I’ll 
go with you.” 

But the Sticky J ameetis did not wait. N o sir-ee, 
he set off as fast as he could and the next moment 
disappeared around a corner. 

“Good gracious !” exclaimed the Prince, as he sat 
down on the palace steps dejectedly, “whatever am 
I going to do? I can’t stay in this place. I — I 
don’t like it at all.” 

And then as he sat there he heard a cheery 
whistling and saw that a very stout little boy, about 
his own age, was coming along the street and that 
he wore a large blue bib with white dots, and car- 
ried a huge pie in his arms. 

“Hello,” said the little boy, sitting down by the 
Prince and placing his pie carefully in his lap, 
“what’s the matter ? You look as though you were 
going to cry.” 

185 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


‘"Well, Fin not,” retorted the Prince. “I never 
cry. I’m — I’m only worried.” 

And then he told the other all about the hx he 
was in. “I don’t know who you are,” he went on, 
“but I suppose you live here or you wouldn’t be so 
cheerful.” 

“Certainly I live here,” said the little boy, “and 
I’m surprised you can’t guess who I am. Don’t 
you ever read books? Why, my picture is in hun- 
dreds of books with a poem underneath it like this : 

Little Jack Homer, he sat in a comer. 

Eating a Christmas pie. 

He put in his thumb and pulled out a plum. 

And said what a great boy am I. 

But just let me add a few lines to the rhyme — 
Though pie may be nice it gets tiresome in time. 

And I often have wished, just betwixt me and you, 

I could swap off my pastry for something quite new. 

“Phew!” said the Prince, his eyes big with as- 
tonishment, “are you really Jack Horner? Well, 
I declare!” 

^'Yes,” said the other, “I’m Jack Homer, though 
sometimes I wish I wasn’t because I’m awfully tired 
186 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


of pie, and the Grand Jamboree won’t let me have 
anything else.” 

“Why not?” asked the Prince. 

“Goodness knows,” said Jack Horner. “I sup- 
pose he thinks pie is the proper thing for Jack 
Horner, the same as jam is the proper thing for a 
jameetis. What do you think about it*?” 

“Well,” said Frol, “I think pie is very good, and 
I think jam is very good, too. But I also think 
lots of other things are very good. Did you ever 
taste cookies*?” 

Jack Horner shook his head. “No. Have you 
got any?” 

“Not here,” said the Prince, ‘*but my mother has 
big tin boxes of ’em in her pantry, ginger cookies, 
sugar cookies, and — and crullers. And — ” 

“Stop !” interrupted Jack Horner, ‘*you’re saying 
it too fast. Now please begin all over again. 
This is the most delicious conversation I have had 
for some time.” 

So Frol began all over again and told Jack 
Horner very, very slowly and distinctly all the 

187 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


splendid things to eat that his mother kept in her 
preserve closet. 

“Oh, my,’’ gasped Jack Horner, when he had fin- 
ished, “to think of what I’ve been missing all my 
life.” And with that he took his pie and flung it 
as far from him as he could. “Come on,” he said, 
“let’s go and visit your mother for awhile. Come 
on.” 

“All right,” said the Prince, springing to his feet. 
And then he suddenly sat down again with a look 
of despair. “No,” he said, “it’s no use. I don’t 
know how to get back. I don’t even know where 
the preserve closets are in Jameeto. The Sticky 
Jameetis took me along so many streets he got me 
all mixed up.” 

“Well,” said Jack Horner, “I guess that settles 
it then because I don’t know either. Gracious, I 
wish I hadn’t thrown away my pie now.” 

And there they sat on the palace steps two very 
doleful looking little boys. Prince Frol of Trym 
and Jack Horner of Jameeto. And there it was 
that the Grand Jamboree found them when he ap- 
188 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


peared in the doorway all ready to take a stroll 
about the city. 

“What’s this?” demanded the Grand Jamboree, 
sternly, when he saw Jack Horner sitting by the 
Prince. 

“Why, this is a little boy,” said Jack Horner, 
jumping up quickly, “who is trying to find his way 
back to his mother’s preserve closet, and — ” 

“I know all about him,” interrupted the Grand 
Jamboree, “and I know all about his mother’s pre- 
serve closet. But what I don’t know is why after 
all your careful bringing up, you should pick such 
a companion. And where is your pie, sir? Where 
is your pie, eh?” 

“Well,” said Jack Horner, very much confused, 
“I — I — I dropped it,” pointing to the mutilated 
pastry in the middle of the street. 

“You — you dropped it!” exclaimed the Grand 
Jamboree in a horrified tone. “I don’t believe it. 
You never did such a thing before, why should you 
do it now, eh? Look me in the eye! You did it 
on purpose, didn’t you?” 

189 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Well,” said Jack Horner, sulkily, ‘Tm — I’m 
tired of pie. Why should I always have pie and 
nothing else This little boy — ” 

“Ah,” said the Grand Jamboree, scowling, “so 
this little boy has been putting ideas into your 
head, eh? He’s a dangerous character, that’s what 
he is. Come inside, both of you.” And in a jiffy 
he hustled the Prince and Jack Horner into the 
palace and upstairs to his private audience room. 

“Now,” he said, shaking his finger at the Prince, 
“I am going to make an example of you. Until 
you came to Jameeto, Jack Horner was perfectly 
contented with pulling plums out of his Christmas 
pie, and had a soul above preserves and other 
things; and was even in a fair way to become a 
worthy successor to myself on the throne of Jam- 
eeto. And then you come along and spoil every- 
thing. You ought to be ashamed of yourself.” 

“But,” said the Prince, “I didn’t mean any harm. 
He said he was tired of pie and I only told him 
about the cookies and crullers my mother made.” 
“Cookies! Crullers!” shrieked the Grand Jam- 
190 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


boree. “Worse and worse! The sooner you are 
disposed of the better.’’ 

Whereupon he clapped his hands and into the 
room marched a very tall and very sticky looking 
gentleman with a stiff linen cap on his head. 

“This,” said the Grand Jamboree, “is the Man- 
ager of the Marmalade Department. He will 
turn you into a sticky jameetis. Of course you are 
already the start of one but as you seem to be in- 
clined to stir up mischief here while you are turning 
into one, I think it would be best to turn you intn 
one at once^ because when you are a regular sticky 
jameetis I can appoint you to a preserve closet and 
keep you from putting nonsense into Jack Horner’s 
head.” 

Then he turned to the Manager of the Marma- 
lade Department. “Take this boy and drop him 
into the marmalade lake. When he comes up the 
third time pull him out and bring him here. Un- 
derstand?” 

“Right-0 !” responded the Manager of the Mar- 
malade Department, making a grab for the Prince. 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“Help!” yelled the Prince, leaping away from 
the Manager of the Marmalade Department. 

“Come here,” said that gentleman, wiping a 
trickle of jam off his nose. 

“No,” said the Prince. 

“Why not?’ asked the Manager of the Marma- 
lade Department. 

“Because I don’t wish to be dropped into that 
lake,” replied the Prince. “And I’m not going to 
be, either.” 

“No, don’t you do it,” put in Jack Horner. 

“Silence!” thundered the Grand Jamboree, “or 
I’ll turn you into a sticky jameetis also.” 

“Come on now,” said the Manager of the Mar- 
malade Department, beckoning to Frol, “it will 
soon be over. Why, you may even like it for all I 
know.” 

“No, I’d never like it,” said the Prince, backing 
away, “and you needn’t try to coax me.” 

“All right,” roared the Manager of the Marma- 
lade Department, “then I worCt try to coax you.’^ 
And he made another grab for the boy. 

192 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


But as he did so little Jack Horner showed that 
he was a very good fellow for he put out his foot 
and the Manager of the Marmalade Department 
tripped over it and fell headlong. And by the 
time he had gotten up again Frol was bounding 
down the palace stairs. 

“Stop!” bawled the Grand Jamboree. 

“Wait until I catch you,” bellowed the Manager 
of the Marmalade Department, making after the 
Prince. 

Out the front door leaped the Prince and along 
the street as fast as he could go, and as they say 
fear lends a person wings you may be sure he went 
pretty swiftly. 

“Oh, dear,” he panted, “if I only knew where the 
door of our preserve closet was.” 

And then as he turned a corner who should he 
see coming out of a little house but the Sticky 
Jameetis. 

“Hello,” said the Sticky Jameetis, “whaPs your 
hurry?” 

“Oh,” said the Prince, “I — I just sort of felt like 

193 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


running/’ He did not dare tell the Sticky Jamee- 
tis what was really the matter, because he felt sure 
he would be on the side of the Grand Jamboree. 

“Well,” said the Sticky Jameetis, “I saw your 
mother and she said to tell you not to worry about 
her being worried about you, as long as she knew 
where you were.” 

“Humph!” said the Prince, “I think she might 
worry a little. Is her preserve closet in that 
house?’ 

“Yes,” said the Sticky Jameetis, “the stairs are 
just inside the door.” 

Without another word the Prince dashed by the 
Sticky Jameetis, and into the house, and shut and 
bolted the door after him. Then he fumbled his 
way down the stairs that led to his mother’s pre- 
serve closet, and when he reached the bottom it took 
him about two minutes to rush out of the door of the 
closet into the royal kitchen. And there he found 
his mother talking to the royal cook. 

“Why — why, where did you come from?’ asked 
the Queen, starting back in astonishment. And 
194 


THE STICKY JAMEETIS 


then seeing how sticky he was, she added : “You’ve 
been in the preserve closet again.” 

“Y — Y — Yes,” stammered the Prince, “and I’ve 
been somewhere else, too. But the Sticky Jam- 
eetis said you were not worried.” 

“The Sticky Jameetis,” echoed the Queen, “why 
what are you talking about ^ What on earth is a 
Sticky J ameetis f ’ 

And of course when she said that, there was noth- 
ing for Frol to do but tell her all his adventures. 

“Dear me,” said the Queen, with a merry laugh, 
“what a surprising dream. That’s what you get 
for taking a nap in my preserve closet. I ought to 
punish you but I guess you’ve been punished 
enough.” 

“But it wasn’t a dream,” said the Prince, “why, 
I saw everything just as plain.” 

“Well,” said the Queen, “whatever it was, I 
hope it has taught you a lesson about prowling in 
preserve closets.” 

“Yes,” said the Prince, “it has. But it wasn’t 
a dream. How could it be ?’ 

195 


THE GRATEFUL FAIRY 


“I don’t know,” said his mother, ‘‘you’ll have to 
ask somebody brighter than I am.” 

So maybe, now that you have finished this story, 
you would like to write to Prince Frol of Trym and 
tell him what you think about the matter. 


196 


THE MARY JANE SERIES 

BY CLARA INGRAM JUDSON 

Cloth, 12mo. Illustrated. 

With picture inlay and wrapper. 


Mary Jane is the typical American little 
girl who bubbles over with fun and the 
good things in life. We meet her here on 
a visit to her grandfather’s farm where she 
becomes acquainted with farm life and farm 
animals and thoroughly enjoys the ex- 
perience. We next see her going to 
kindergarten and then on a visit to Florida, and then — but 
read the stories for yourselves. 

Exquisitely and charmingly written are these books which 
every little girl from five to nine years old will want from the 
first book to the last. 

1 MARY JANE— HER BOOK 

2 MARY JANE— HER VISIT 

3 MARY JANE’S KINDERGARTEN 

4 MARY JANE DOWN SOUTH 

5 MARY JANE’S CITY HOME 

6 MARY JANE IN NEW ENGLAND 

7 MARY JANE’S COUNTY HOME 

BARSE & HOPKINS 

PUBLISHERS 



NEWARK, N. J 


NEW YORK. N. Y. 



CHICKEN LimE JANE SERIES 

By LILY MUNSELL RITCHIE 


Chicken Little Jane is a. 
Western prairie girl who 
lives a happy, outdoor life 
in a country where there 
is plenty of room to turn 
around. She is a wide- 
awake, resourceful girl 
who will instantly win her 
way into the hearts of 
other girls. And what 
good times she has ! — with 
her pets, her friends, and 
her many interests. 
“Chicken Little” is the af- 
fectionate nickname given to her when she is 
very, very good, but when she misbehaves it is 
“Jane” — ^just Jane! 

Adventures of Chicken Little Jane 
Chicken Little Jane on the “Big John” 
Chicken Little Jane Comes to Town 

With numerous illustrations in pen and ink 

By CHARLES D. HUBBARD 


BARSE & HOPKINS 

NEWARK NEW YORK 

N.J. N.Y. 




THE BOBBY BLAKE SERIES 

BY FRANK A. WARNER 

BOOKS FOR BOYS 
From eight to twelve years old 

True stories of life at a modern 
American boarding school. Bobby 
attends this institution of learning 
with his particular chum and the 
boys have no end of good times. 
The tales of outdoor life, espe- 
cially the exciting times they have 
when engaged in sports against 
rival schools, are written in a 
manner so true, so realistic, that 
the reader, too, is bound to share 
with these boys their thrills and 
pleasures. 

1 BOBBY BLAKE AT ROCKLEDGE SCHOOL. 

2 BOBBY BLAKE AT BASS COVE. 

3 BOBBY BLAKE ON A CRUISE. 

4 BOBBY BLAKE AND HIS SCHOOL CHUMS. 

5 BOBBY BLAKE AT SNOWTOP CAMP. 

6 BOBBY BLAKE ON THE SCHOOL NINE. 

7 BOBBY BLAKE ON A RANCH. 

8 BOBBY BLAKE ON AN AUTO TOUR. 

9 BOBBY BLAKE ON THE SCHOOL ELEVEN, 
lo BOBBY BLAKE ON A PLANTATION. 

BARSE & HOPKINS 



New York, N. Y. 


Newark, N. J. 


The Yank Brown Series 

By DAVID STONE 

Cloth, large 12 mo. Illustrated. 


When Yank Brown comes 
to Belmont College as a 
callow Freshman, there is 
a whole lot that he doesn’t 
know about college life, 
such as class rushes, rival- 
ries, fraternities, and what 
a lowly Freshman must 
not do. But he does know 
something about how to 
play football, and he is a 
big, likeable chap who 
speedily makes friends. 

In the first story of this 
series we watch Yank buck the line as a Half- 
back. In the second story he goes in for basket- 
ball, among many other activities of a busy col- 
lege year. Then there are other stories to fol- 
low — each brimful of action and interest. This 
is one of the best college series we have seen in 
a long while. 

YANK BROWN, HALFBACK 
YANK BROWN, FORWARD 

YANK BROWN, CROSS-COUNTRY 
RUNNER 


BARSE & HOPKINS 

NEWARK NEW YORK 

N. J. N. Y. 



{Other vofumeT^n preparation.) 


The Sunny Boy Series 

By RAMT ALLISON WHITE 


Children, meet Sunny 
Boy, a little fellow with 
big eyes and an inquiring 
disposition, who finds the 
world a large and won- 
derful thing indeed. And 
somehow there is lots go- 
ing on, when Sunny Boy 
is around. Perhaps he 
helps push! In the first 
book of this new series he 
has the finest time ever, 
with his Grandpa out in 
the country. He learns a 
lot and he helps a lot, in his small way. Then 
he has a glorious visit to the seashore, but this is 
in the next story. And there are still more adven- 
tures in the third book and fourth book. You 
will like Sunny Boy. 

4 Titles, Cloth, illustrated, 12mo., 
with colored covers. 

1. SUNNY BOY IN THE COUNTRY 

2. SUNNY BOY AT THE SEASHORE 

3. SUNNY BOY IN THE BIG CITY 

4. SUNNY BOY IN SCHOOL AND OUT 

5. SUNNY BOY AND HIS PLAYMATES 

BARSE & HOPKINS 

PUBLISHERS 

NEWARK, N. J. NEW YORK, N. Y. 



THE GO AHEAD BOYS 

BY ROSS KAY, 


I leave this rule for others when I’m dead. 

Be always sure you’re right— THEN GO AHEAD. 

—Davy Crockett’s Motto. 

The love of adventure is inborn in all 
normal boys. Action is almost a supreme 
demand in all the stories they read with 
most pleasure. Here is presented a series 
of rattling good adventure stories which 
every live “go ahead” boy will read with 
unflagging interest. There is action, dash 
and snap in every tale yet the tone is health- 
ful and there is an underlying vein of re- 
sourcefulness and strength that is worth 
while. 


1 THE GO AHEAD BOYS ON SMUGGLERS’ ISLAND, 
a THE GO AHEAD BOYS AND THE TREASURE CAVE. 

3 THE GO AHEAD BOYS AND THE MYSTERIOUS 

OLD HOUSE. 

4 THE GO AHEAD BOYS IN THE ISLAND CAMP. 

5 THE GO AHEAD BOYS AND THE RACING MOTOR ■ 

BOAT. 

6 THE GO AHEAD BOYS AND SIMON’S MINE. 

(Other volumes in preparation) 

Cloth, Lttrgo Umo., lUuatraUd, 



Newark, N.J. 


BARSE & HOPKINS 

PUBLISHERS 


New York, N.Y. 


Stories of Adventure 

(For children from 5 to 9 years old) 

The Traveling Bears Series 

By SEYMOUR EATON 

Teddy B and Teddy G are as nearly hu- 
man as it is possible for bears to be. They 
love children and make playmates of them 
wherever they go. They never have an idle 
moment, and their traveling adventures are 
amusing as well as instructive. 

Snappy, exciting tales, with plenty of ac- 
tion in every chapter and a laugh on every 
page. Books which will be read as long as 
there are children to read them. 



1 THE ADVENTURES OF THE TRAVELING BEARS. 

2 THE TRAVELING BEARS IN THE EAST AND 

WEST. 

3 THE TRAVELING BEARS IN NEW YORK. 

4 THE TRAVELING BEARS IN OUT-DOOR SPORTS. 

5 THE TRAVELING BEARS AT PLAY. 

6 THE TRAVELING BEARS IN ENGLAND. 

7 THE TRAVELING BEARS ACROSS THE SEA. 

8 THE TRAVELING BEARS IN FAIRYLAND. 

9 THE TRAVELING BEAR DETECTIVES 
10 THE TRAVELING BEAR’S BIRTHDAY 

Boards, Quarto, Illustrated. 


BARSE & HOPKINS 

PUBLISHERS 

NEWARK, N. J. NEW YORK, N. Y. 



aOOD STORIES FOR CHILDREN 

(From four to nine years old) 

THE KNEETIME ANIMAL STORIES 

By RICHARD BARNUM 





RICHARD BARNUM 


In all nursery literature animals have 
played a conspicuous part; and the reason 
is obvious, for nothing entertains a child 
more than the antics of an animal. These 
stories abound in amusing incidents such 
as children adore, and the characters are 
so full of life, so appealing to a child’s 
imagination, that none will be satisfied until 
they have met all of their favorites— 
Squinty, Slicko, Mappo, and the rest. 


1 Squinty, the Comical Pig. 

2 Slicko, the Jumping Squirrel. 

3 Mappo, the Merry Monkey. 

4 Turn Turn, the Jolly Elephant.: 

5 Don, a Runaway Dog. 

6 Dido, the Dancing Bear. 

7 Blackie, a Lost Cat. 

8 Flop Emr, the Funny RahbiL 

9 Tinkle, the Trick Pony. 

10 Lightfoot, the Leaping Goat^ 

11 Chunky, the Happy Hippo. 

12 Sharp Eyes, the Silver Fox. 

13 Nero, the Circus Lion. 

14 Tamba, the Tame Tiger. 

15 Toto, the Rustling Beaver. 

16 Shaggo, the Mighty Buffalo. 

17 Winky, the WUy Woodchuck. 

Cloth, Large 12mo., Illustrated. 


BARSE & HOPKINS 

Publishers 


Newark, N. J. 


New York, N, Y. 

































